Rani Mukerji’s Hichki is on a dream run in China! The positive and inspirational film is on a record-breaking spree in the Chinese mainland and has now crossed INR 150 crore GBO. This stupendous success is a result of incredibly positive reviews and word of mouth in China. The total collections in China now stand at a staggering INR 150.8 crore GBO.
Rani Mukerji said, “Hichki is a special film to me as audiences, especially teachers, students and parents have connected emotionally with the film which is deeply rewarding. The language of cinema and emotion is universal. So, I think the resonance that Hichki has had with audiences in China, is proof enough that when you make a film with heart and which is about genuine human emotions, it will deeply connect with people anywhere.”
Hichki, a story about a school teacher Naina Mathur, who deals with an involuntary nervous system disorder Tourette syndrome has won hearts across the world. Rani’s brilliant performance has also seen her sweep awards and accolades in India and overseas. Hichki received a standing ovation in China, at the Shanghai International Film Festival (SIFF) and then at the Indian Film Festival of Melbourne (IFFM) where Rani was also presented with the Best Actress award.
The film features the actress as a determined teacher who changes lives of her students from economically backward strata for the better while dealing with her own nervous system disorder Tourette Syndrome. According to the production house, audiences in the country have loved Mukerji’s acting.
“Good cinema has no language barriers and it connects with the hearts and minds of the audience. The success of Hichki in China proves just that,” Mukerji said in a statement. “We knew we had made a special film but for it to get so much love and acclaim from audiences across the globe is an extremely proud and humbling moment for all of us.”
She congratulated producer Maneesh Sharma and director Siddharth P Malhotra for “creating a gem of a film whose universal message of love has been melting the hearts of audiences in China now”.
Hichki was titled Teacher With Hiccup for its Chinese release. Rani had promoted the film extensively across leading Chinese cities like Beijing, Shanghai, Shenzhen, Guangzhou and Chengdu.
The movie, which landed in China on 12 October, is the seventh Indian release in the PRC this year after Secret Superstar, Bajrangi Bhaijaan, Hindi Medium, Baahubali: The Conclusion, Toilet: Ek Prem Katha and Sultan.
The Siddharth Malhotra-directed drama is also the fifth Indian movie to touch the Rs 150 crore mark in China after Dangal, Secret Superstar, Bajrangi Bhaijaan, and Hindi Medium, which was the last successful Bollywood release to breach the $20 million milestone in the world’s second-largest movie market.
Hichki was placed in the ninth position at the daily box-office chart in China for the weekend ending 4 November (2-4 November). In its fourth frame, the movie pulled in a theatrical revenue of $1.54 million (Rs 11.23 crore) despite a bevy of new releases such as The Nutcracker and the Four Realms, The Frozen Hero II, The Hurricane Heist, A Street Cat Named Bob, and You Beautify My Life. In fact, on Monday (5 November), Hichki moved up to occupy the seventh spot at the box-office chart and held its position on Tuesday too.
In 15 days, Hichki had become the sixth Indian film to rake in Rs 100 crore at the Chinese box-office after Aamir Khan’s PK, Dangal, Secret Superstar, Salman Khan’s Bajrangi Bhaijaan, and Irrfan Khan’s Hindi Medium. Now, it has supplanted the lifetime PRC earnings of Aamir Khan-Rajkumar Hirani’s blockbuster PK to emerge as the fifth highest-earning Indian film in China after Dangal, Secret Superstar, Bajrangi Bhaijaan and Hindi Medium.
After surging past the worldwide revenue of 2018’s box office winners such as Rajkummar Rao’s Stree, Akshay Kumar’s Gold, Luv Ranjan’s Sonu Ke Titu Ki Sweety, Ajay Devgn’s Raid, Hichki has now dethroned Alia Bhatt-Meghna Gulzar’s Raazi to become the highest-grossing heroine-led film of 2018 and the fifth highest grosser of the year in Bollywood with a global running total of Rs 226.83 crore.
Hichki is now only behind Padmaavat, Sanju, Race 3 and Baaghi 2 in the list of highest-grossing Hindi films of 2018. Maoyan, China’s popular ticket-selling, and box office platform, has predicted the lifetime total of Hichki as 147 million yuan (Rs 115 crore). So, it’s safe to assume that the cumulative worldwide gross of Baaghi 2 at Rs 254 crore would be left untouched unless Hichki springs a massive surprise in its fifth weekend.
Now, the Middle Kingdom takings of Hichki, which features Rani Mukerji as a school teacher struggling to overcome her inhibitions as a Tourette syndrome victim, is more than the twice the film’s Indian theatrical revenue of Rs 59.23 crore. The multi-city tour of Rani Mukerji in the mainland and her active participation in promotions have also played a key role in the film’s success. The project marks Yash Raj Films’ second entry into the Chinese market after Sultan, which winded up its month-long PRC run with a paltry total of $5.24 million (Rs 38 crore) on 30 September.
