Rani Mukerji's Hichki enters 100 cr club with box office collection of Rs 31.1 cr on opening weekend in China

Rani Mukerji’s Hichki, which landed in China on 12 October following a lacklustre National Day holiday (1-7 October) period, has pulled in a decent opening weekend revenue of $4.21 million (Rs 31.1 cr) in three days. The Yash Raj Films production is the seventh Indian movie to release in the Middle Kingdom this year after Secret Superstar, Bajrangi Bhaijaan, Hindi Medium, Baahubali: The Conclusion, Toilet: Ek Prem Katha and Sultan, which completed its underwhelming China run with a cumulative total of $5.24 million (Rs 38 cr) on 30 September. [caption id=“attachment_5387191” align=“alignnone” width=“825”] Rani Mukerji at a special Hichki promotion event in China[/caption] Directed by Siddharth Malhotra, Hichki scored a paltry opening day gross of $0.77 million (Rs 5.68 cr), before bouncing back strongly on day two (Saturday) with earnings of $1.74 million (Rs 12.84) and an incredible Friday-Saturday growth rate of 125%. The film, which features Rani Mukerji as a school teacher struggling to overcome her inhibitions as a Tourette syndrome victim, maintained a steady gross of $ 1.7 million (Rs 12.55 cr) on day three (Sunday) at the box-office. Although the opening day gross of Hichki at $0.77 million is lesser than Sultan ($0.94 million), Toilet: Ek Prem Katha ($2.35 million) and Baahubali: The Conclusion ($2.43 million) — the last three Indian releases in the PRC — the opening weekend total of Hichki $4.21 million (Rs 31.1 cr) has outperformed Sultan’s $3 million (Rs 21.3 cr). However, Hichki’s opening weekend takings pale in comparison to Toilet: Ek Prem Katha and Baahubali: The Conclusion’s $9.05 million (Rs 61.1 cr) and $7.63 million (Rs 51.23 cr) respectively. Made on a budget of Rs 21 cr, the PRC earnings of $4.21 million (Rs 31.1 cr) has propelled Hichki’s worldwide total to Rs 107.13 cr with an overseas gross of Rs 47.9 cr. The film holds a good rating of 9.4 on Maoyan, China’s popular ticket-selling, and box-office platform and is likely to pick up during the weekdays considering that it holds a fantastic 92% recommendation rate on Sina Weibo, China’s Twitter-like micro-blogging site. Hichki received a standing ovation in China when it was showcased at the Shanghai International Film Festival in June this year. The premieres of the film were held in five cities Beijing, Shanghai, Shenzhen, Guangzhou, and Chengdu on 8 October and Rani Mukerji actively participated in promotions by interacting with the audiences and press. [caption id=“attachment_5387211” align=“alignnone” width=“825”] Rani Mukerji at Beijing Normal University[/caption] Speaking at Beijing Normal University, Rani Mukerji said, “I would like to say thank you to the entire audience for seeing Hichki and giving such a warm welcome and receiving the film so beautifully. It is my first visit to China. I have come all the way from India, and I feel so wonderful being here in Beijing. It’s a great honor and I would like to thank the Chinese audiences from the bottom of my heart for giving me an opportunity to showcase my film. This film is so special to me since I started this film after becoming a mother. I was shooting the film last year in April when my daughter was 14 months of age. It was very important for me to choose a role and script which was as powerful as Hichki to make me want to leave my child and go to shoot a film. I was very anxious about leaving my daughter and going for work. On the first day of the shoot, I was crying in my car.” “Another reason why I did Hichki was because I wanted India to know what Tourette syndrome is and how important it is. I wanted my people to understand how to treat children who suffer from the syndrome. It was very difficult to prepare for this role since people in India are very aware of Tourette syndrome. I didn’t have any references to prepare for the character. I had to go to YouTube and watch videos of people who have Tourette’s,” she said while speaking to students at Sichuan Film and Television College. Aamir Khan, the most famous and influential Indian actor in China, released a video message to his fans and showered praise on Hichki. “It’s a beautiful film with a great story and wonderful performances from Rani and all the kids. It’s a really heart-warming and uplifting film. It’s a wonderfully made movie. I hope that all of you are going to see the film and enjoy it,” said Aamir.