With over $6 million, ‘The Legend of Maula Jatt’ becomes highest grossing Pakistani movie worldwide

This photo shows banner of Pakistan's Punjabi film "The Legend of Maula Jatt". (Photo courtesy: Online)

• Industry experts say the success of the new film proves that big-budget movies can secure good business
• ‘The Legend of Maula Jatt’ has also made over $200,000 within the first week of its release in Saudi Arabia

KARACHI: Pakistani film “The Legend of Maula Jatt” has broken all previous local cinema records by grossing an impressive Rs1.5 billion – or over $6.78 million – since its release in Pakistan and the rest of the world on October 13. 
The movie is a reboot of a hyper-masculine Punjabi film that enchanted viewers four decades ago and features leading artists like Fawad Khan, Mahira Khan and Hamza Ali Abbasi. 
It has not only won critical acclaim but also done incredibly well in domestic and international markets. 
“I am not surprised to see ‘The Legend of Maula Jatt’ breaking records at the box office,” Humayun Saeed, an icon of the country’s entertainment industry, told Arab News on Wednesday. “It had the potential to do so. It is even better that it has crossed 150 crores [Rs1.5 billion] … It is groundbreaking for the industry.” 
According to Box Office Detail, which tracks earnings of films released in Pakistan, “The Legend of Maula Jatt” secured a whopping Rs203 million (over $900,000) in the first week, followed by Rs165 million (over $700,000) in the second, and Rs102 million (over $450,000) over the third weekend in the country. 
The total amount adds up to Rs469 million (over $2.1 million) in Pakistan, making it the top earning movie in the country after Jawani Phir Nahi Ani 2 which raked in Rs500 million (over $2.2 million) at the local box office. 
The film managed to secure Rs600 million (over $2.7 million) in the first week, though the numbers reduced to half in the second one. Over the third weekend, it made Rs81 million (over $366,262) internationally, adding up to a total of Rs990 million (over $4.48 million) worldwide. 
“The numbers coming from the Gulf region are out of the world,” Pakistani film trade analyst Ali Zain told Arab News. “In a country like Saudi Arabia, the film has grossed $200,000 in the first two weeks. This is something that is very significant and has never been seen [before] for any Indian film either.” 
Zain said the movie was likely to reach the Rs750 million (over $3.4 million) mark in Pakistan and could even break the Rs1 billion (over $4.5 million) barrier in the country. 
“The film’s distribution strategy was excellent,” he continued while pointing out its success had proved that an impressive, big-budget movie was likely to do good business internationally. 
“The film has set the bar really high for upcoming films such as Zarrar, Tich Button and others,” he added. 
Besides featuring an impressive cast, “The Legend of Maula Jatt” has been directed by Bilal Lashari and produced by Ammara Hikmat. 
“The director’s creative impulse has led to these numbers,” Hikmat told Arab News, adding she never had any second thoughts when it came to supporting Lashari. 
“Producing this film in Pakistan was like pushing rocks uphill, but if there was one person who could have made it happen in Pakistan, it was Bilal [Lashari],” she continued. “He did his part very well. It was the release part that had me worried post-COVID-19. Now I feel I have 100 kgs [lifted] off my shoulders.”