Indian filmmaker Nag Ashwin's latest film 'Kalki 2898 AD' is on a winning spree at the box office.
After a record-breaking opening, filmmaker Nag Ashwin’s new movie Kalki 2898 AD has closed the first weekend on a high note. Starring Prabhas, Deepika Padukone, Amitabh Bachchan, Kamal Haasan and Saswata Chatterjee in lead roles, the multi-lingual movie grossed $66 million globally in four days since the release on June 27. The film also features Mrunal Thakur, Dulquer Salmaan, Vijay Deverakonda, Anna Ben, and Brahmanandam in special roles. Kalki 2898 AD is likely to cross $75 million within a week at the box office. In six days at the ticket windows, the film has crossed $68 million globally.
According to Vyjayanthi Movies (producers) the film made a global total of more than $65 million in the first extended weekend while the India figures for that time period stood at nearly $45 million. Kalki 2898 AD was ranked at the third slot on Comscore’s list of top scoring films worldwide. The film stood below the Hollywood films Inside Out 2 and Quiet Place: Day One.
COO - Cinemas at the Indian ticketing and entertainment platform BookMyShow Ashish Saksena claims that Kalki 2898 AD had the highest-selling opening weekend since K.G.F: Chapter 2 on the platform, having sold 8.3 million tickets in India. “Kalki 2898 AD has created a theatrical riot across India, reflecting its widespread appeal and keen anticipation among diverse audiences.”
In UK alone, the film has earned more than $1 million and the numbers for North America stood at nearly $850000.
Kalki 2898 AD: Box Office records
The collections of Kalki 2898 AD sent it to the top of highest worldwide weekend collection ever for Indian films, surpassing Shah Rukh Khan’s hit from 2023, Jawan. Earlier, it made highest opening day collection for Indian films in 2024 and the third-highest opening ever.
Kalki 2898 AD is set to continue its fast pace at the box office - there is no major Indian release in the coming weekend. Only Guneet Monga’s critically-acclaimed Kill is set for a theatrical release on July 5. Neeraj Pandey’s Ajay Devgn-Tabu-starrer Auron Mein Kahan Dum Tha was supposed to release on July 5, but the film has been shifted to a new, yet-to-be-announced, date.
Opening day collections
Kalki 2898 AD made $23 million on the first day of its release - Thursday, June 27. In Indian markets, the Hindi version of the film made more than $3 million opening while the combined figure for all languages in India stood at nearly $11 million. The film is now the biggest opener of 2024.
Apart from Hindi, Kalki 2898 AD has released in Tamil, Telugu, Malayalam, and Kannada. Nearly $7 million collections (out of the India gross of $11 million opening) came from Telugu version of the film while the Tamil version scored slightly more than $3 million.
Nag Ashwin on the box office success
Soon after the production house posted the weekend figures, director Ashwin wrote an emotional note, recalling his journey in films. “Around 10 years ago, the three of us began our debut feature film Yevade together... Vyjayanti was at a low and this film was a risky one.” He also remembered the day when they could not finish a day of shoot because of rains and that extra cost broke them down, leaving them in panic. “In retrospect that cost wasn't much at all...from that to this... 10 years later...every movie we have made together, is not just successful at the box office, but a small milestone in film history, in its own way...I feel proud and blessed to stand between these two...and be part of the impossible things we are pulling off... There are shortcomings...there is so much room to improve... And we shall. For now, just Gratitude,” he wrote on Instagram.
Kalki 2898 AD
Written by director Ashwin himself, Kalki 2898 AD takes inspiration from the Hindu mythological character Ashwatthama who needs to protect humanity some 6000 years after the legendary war of Mahabharat in India’s Kurukshetra.
Weaving Indian mythical stories with Hollywood hits such as Star Wars, Mad Max and Blade Runner, Kalki 2898 AD talks about some of the most pressing issues facing humanity in today’s age. These include climate change, a monstrous divide between the rich and the poor, and dictatorial threats to democracy.
The filmmaker also takes special care to ensure that his narrative is an inclusive one - he talks about various religions and does not stick to one. He also points out the worldwide wrongdoings and keeps them well disguised in his story. An all-encompassing greed for eternity, a world full of suffering created by human greed and selfishness and a divine mother who is expected to give birth to the God, the saviour - Kalki 2898 AD is a global film even if we remove those spectacular visual effects and CGI scenes. While the visual effects are clearly inspired by Hollywood, the narrative and film as a whole is an entertaining piece of art that will make most of the audience sit up and think. It can also serve as a starting point for those who wish to explore and study the Indian mythical characters Ashwin has used in his narrative.
Jatt And Juliet 3
Meanwhile, popular Punjabi star Diljit Dosanjh also had a new release over the weekend. His new film, Jatt And Juliett 3 has posted a good weekend collection. The film made it to ten top scoring movies in the US for the weekend ending June 30, with a collection of nearly $2 million. Written and directed by Jagdeep Sidhu, the film also stars Neeru Bajwa along with Dosanjh.
