This year’s Diwali releases, Thank God and Ram Setu, have failed to create ripples not just at the Indian box office but also in the international market. The film has been overshadowed by the Pakistani film The Legend of Maula Jatt, starring Fawad Khan, which released two weeks ago.
In the UK, the combined earnings of Akshay Kumar’s Ram Setu and Ajay Devgn’s Thank God were less than what The Legend of Maula Jatt made at the box office. On its thirteenth day in the UK, the Fawad Khan starrer collected USD 46,825 USD (Rs. 38.40 lakhs) from 56 screens. But the new releases failed to pull the audience to cinema halls. While Thank God earned USD 19,472 (Rs. 15.97 lakhs) from 83 screens, Ram Setu pulled in USD 16,595 (Rs. 13.61 lakhs) from 95 screens on their opening day.
Similarly, in North America, The Legend of Maula Jatt was the film of choice for the audience. They evidently rejected the Bollywood releases, Ram Setu and Thank God. There, The Legend of Maula Jatt made USD 56,586 (Rs. 46.45 lakhs) from 90 screens. Thank God collected USD 40,358 (Rs. 33.13 lakhs) from 228 screens and Ram Setu drew in USD 48,330 (Rs. 39.67 lakhs) from 354 screens.
The story of The Legend of Maula Jatt follows prizefighter Maula Jatt (Fawad Khan), who is tortured by his past demons and seeks to win against one of the most fearsome fighters of the time, Noori Natt. Apart from Fawad and Mahira, the film also features Hamza Ali Abassi and Humaima Malik in pivotal roles.
