"Chennai Express" has turned into a money-spinner, breaking records at the box office, and Shah Rukh Khan thinks it's good for Indian cinema.
The romantic-comedy flick, which was released on Eid (9 August), has collected more than ₹150 crore in just one week. It became the highest paid previews, highest opening film, fastest film to earn ₹100 crore, and is likely to break more records.
"It's a good sign not only for us, but for the films that came and that will come in the next five-six months... the market of Indian films is so big," IANS quoted Shah Rukh as telling reporters while interacting with fans at the INOX theatre.
"People now want to see the films, if they are released properly. Mashallah, this film is doing well down South, internationally also it is doing good. I think it's a great sign for Indian films," he added.
He went on to say that "our market is growing extensively and very soon people will be comparing our market to international markets and for me that is very heartening."
"Chennai Express" starring Shah Rukh Khan and Deepika Padukone earned ₹6.75 crore from paid previews and raked in ₹33.12 crore on the opening day. It crossed ₹100 crore mark at the domestic box office in the first weekend and the first week collection is ₹156.7 crore according to trade analyst Taran Adarsh.
The film directed by Rohit Shetty and co-produced by Red Chillies Entertainment and UTV Motion Pictures could become the biggest grossing film in India if it continues to rake in revenues for a couple of more weeks, as "Once Upon A Time in Mumbaai Doobaara" failed to eat up its revenue during the Independence Day holiday. It is currently the fourth highest grosser ever in India, next only to Aamir Khan's "3 Idiots" (₹202 crore), Salman's "Ek Tha Tiger" (₹198 crore), and Ranbir Kapoor's "Yeh Jawaani Hai Deewani" (₹188.57crore).
