Indian films have been released in overseas markets since the latter half of the 1940s. Target audience for Indian films in overseas markets has been mostly limited to the South Asian diaspora but several movies have found success among non-South Asian Audiences also especially in places like USSR, China, Middle East, Africa.
The first Indian film to have a worldwide release was from 1952 (Aan, directed by Mehboob Khan). In the 1950s, Indian films saw success in a handful of regions. At the time, the most significant market for Indian films was the Soviet Union, gaining considerable success and occasionally leading to Indian-Soviet co-productions. In the 1950s and 1960s, the Indian film industry also expanded in China and East Africa, which, after the Soviet Union, accounted for some of the largest shares of overseas revenues. Since the collapse of the Soviet Union in 1991, the most significant market has been the South Asian diaspora. China, India's geographic neighbour and the world's second largest film market (after the United States), has seen growing success for Indian films since the beginning of the 21st century.
History The first Indian film to have a commercial release in an overseas territory was Dharti Ke Lal (1946), directed by Khwaja Ahmad Abbas and based on the Bengal famine of 1943. It was released in the Soviet Union in 1949. The first Indian film to have a worldwide release in many countries was Aan (1952), directed by Mehboob Khan, and starring Dilip Kumar and Nimmi. It was subtitled in 17 languages and released in 28 countries, including the United Kingdom, United States, France, and Japan, earning a considerable profit from overseas. Mehboob Khan's Academy Award-nominated Mother India (1957) was an unprecedented success in overseas markets, including Europe, Russia, the Eastern Bloc, French territories, and Latin America.
In the 1950s, Hindi and Egyptian films were generally more popular than Hollywood films in East Africa. By the 1960s, the region was one of the largest overseas export markets for Indian films, accounting for about 20-50% of global earnings for many Indian films.
Soviet Union Up until the 1980s, the largest overseas market for Indian films was the Soviet Union. After Dharti Ke Lal, the first Indian film to become a blockbuster at the Soviet box office was Awaara (1951), directed by Raj Kapoor and written by Khwaja Ahmad Abbas, released in the Soviet Union in 1954.Bollywood affair: how Indian cinema arrived in the USSR, The Calvert Journal, Calvert 22 Foundation, August 2015 Indian films had the strongest presence in the Soviet foreign blockbuster charts for four decades.Indian Films in Soviet Cinemas: The Culture of Movie-going After Stalin, page 75, Indiana University Press, 2005Moscow Prime Time: How the Soviet Union Built the Media Empire that Lost the Cultural Cold War, page 44, Cornell University Press, 2011 300 Indian films were released in the Soviet Union, most of which were Hindi films.The Routledge Handbook of the Cold War, page 357, Routledge, 2014 Among the foreign films that sold more than 20 million tickets in the Soviet Union, 50 were Indian films, the highest from any nation, compared to 41 Hollywood films. Indian films were routinely released with hundreds of prints in the Soviet Union, with the most popular Indian films releasing with more than a thousand prints there.
The highest-grossing Indian film in the Soviet Union was Disco Dancer (1982), written by Rahi Masoom Raza and starring actor Mithun Chakraborty. In terms of footfalls, the only Indian films estimated to have sold 100million tickets overseas were Awaara and Disco Dancer in the Soviet Union. Indian films were very popular in Soviet Union at the time, routinely opening to packed houses. However, the Soviet Union collapsed in 1991, bringing an end to Indian cinema's largest overseas market at the time. The decline of Russian cinema in the post-Soviet era led to Indian films largely disappearing from Russian cinemas by the mid-1990s.
China In China, some of the Indian films to gain commercial success there during the 1970s–1980s included Awaara, Tahir Hussain's Caravan (1971), Noorie (1979), and Disco Dancer.
After Indian films declined in the country, it took decades before Tahir Hussain's son Aamir Khan opened up the Chinese market for Indian films in the early 21st century. His Academy Award nominated Lagaan (2001) became the first Indian film to have a nationwide release there. When 3 Idiots released in China, the country was only the 15th largest film market, partly due to China's widespread pirate DVD distribution at the time. However, it was the pirate market that introduced 3 Idiots to most Chinese audiences, becoming a cult hit in the country. It became China's 12th favourite film of all time, according to ratings on Chinese film review site Douban, with only one domestic Chinese film (Farewell My Concubine) ranked higher. Aamir Khan gained a large growing Chinese fanbase as a result. By 2013, China grew to become the world's second largest film market (after the United States), paving the way for Aamir Khan's Chinese box office success, starting with Dhoom 3 (2013).
PK (2014) was the first Indian film to collect 2 billion overseas, and Dangal (2016) is the first Indian film to exceed 10 billion and $100 million overseas, including ¥1.299 billion () from China. Dangal became the 16th highest-grossing film in China, the fifth highest-grossing non-English language film worldwide, and the highest-grossing non-English foreign film in any market. His next film, the Zaira Wasim starrer Secret Superstar (2017), broke Dangals record for the highest-grossing opening weekend by an Indian film, cementing Aamir Khan's status as a superstar in China, and as "a king of the Chinese box office". Salman Khan's Bajrangi Bhaijaan and Irrfan Khan's Hindi Medium also became blockbusters in China during early 2018.
South Asian diaspora Since the 1990s, the largest overseas market for Indian cinema has been the South Asian diaspora. South Asians in the United Kingdom were the first major diaspora market, with Indian film releases in the United Kingdom dating back to the 1950s.
The diaspora market grew significantly in the early 1990s, with the popularity of Shah Rukh Khan largely credited for popularizing the trend of Indian films targeting overseas NRI audiences. After substantial overseas success from the Shah Rukh Khan-starrer Darr (1993) and the Madhuri Dixit-Salman Khan-starrer Hum Aapke Hain Koun (1994), the biggest overseas breakthrough came with Dilwale Dulhania Le Jayenge (1995), starring Shah Rukh Khan and Kajol as NRIs in love. Afterwards, Indian films followed a trend of releasing worldwide with an increasing number of screens. The Shah Rukh Khan-starrer Dil Se.. (1998) was the first Indian film to enter the United Kingdom's top 10 box office charts. Diaspora audiences in the United States and United Kingdom accounted for 55% of overseas ticket sales for films such as Kuch Kuch Hota Hai (1998) and Taal (1999). In 2000, the overseas export market for Indian films was worth annually. The Naseeruddin Shah-starrer Monsoon Wedding (2001) crossed overseas, followed by the Shah Rukh Khan-starrer My Name Is Khan (2010) and then the Aamir Khan-starrer 3 Idiots (2009) in 2011. Shah Rukh Khan also holds the record for having starred in the annual highest-grossing Hindi film in overseas markets for 15 individual years, the highest for any actor, with the latest being Pathaan (2023).
Highest-grossing films The following list of films is sorted in terms of US dollars (not adjusted for inflation), the standard6 currency used to measure box office performance for overseas markets. * Denotes films still running in theaters Rank Title Overseas gross Original language Year 1 Dangal $230,955,000 Hindi 2016 2 Secret Superstar $127,480,000 2017 3 Bajrangi Bhaijaan $74,700,000 2015 4 Disco Dancer $76,000,000 1982 5 Baahubali 2: The Conclusion $62,500,000 Telugu 2017 6 RRR $53,000,000 2022 7Dhurandhar: The Revenge Hindi2026 8 Andhadhun $51,602,000 2018 9 Pathaan $49,500,000 2023 10 Jawan$48,600,000 2023 11 PK $47,352,000 2014 12 Hindi Medium $36,730,000 2017 13 Dhurandhar $32,400,000 2025 14 Dhoom 3 $31,800,000 2013 15Pushpa 2: The Rule$30,800,000 Telugu 2024 16Animal Hindi 2023 17 Dilwale $27,810,000 2015 18 Sultan 2016 19 Bobby $29,400,000 1973 20 Kalki 2898 AD $30,700,000 Telugu 2024 21 Padmaavat $29,250,000 Hindi 2018 22 Barood $28,200,000 1976 Sholay $28,200,000 1975 24 Jagir 1984 25 KGF: Chapter 2 Kannada 2022 26 3 Idiots $26,800,000 Hindi 2009 27 Seeta Aur Geeta $25,900,000 1972 28 Awaara $25,830,000 1951 29 Hichki 2018 30 Leo $23,900,000 Tamil 2023 31 Jailer $23,800,000 2023 32 Dunki Hindi 2023 33My Name Is Khan$23,500,000 2010 34Monsoon Wedding$22,450,000 2001 35 Mera Naam Joker 1970 36 2.0 Tamil 2018 37 Sanju Hindi 2018 38 Rocky Aur Rani Kii Prem Kahaani 2023 39 Ponniyin Selvan: I $20,700,000 Tamil 2022 40 Chennai Express Hindi 2013 41 Adventures of Ali-Baba and the Forty Thieves $20,500,000 1980 42 Tiger Zinda Hai $20,300,000 2017 43 Coolie $20,270,000 Tamil 2025 44 Saiyaara $19,178,000 Hindi 2025 45 Toilet: Ek Prem Katha $18,880,000 2017 46 Thugs of Hindostan $18,670,000 2018 47 Mom $18,670,000 2017 48 The Greatest of All Time $18,500,000 Tamil 2024 49 Happy New Year $17,120,000 Hindi 2014
Highest-grossing films by market Market Title Gross Year AsiaBahrainKuwaitOmanQatarJawan 2023 BangladeshUS$350,000 2023 China Dangal 2017 Hong Kong 2017 Indonesia My Name Is KhanUS$1,720,000 2010 Japan RRR JP¥2,420,000,000 2022 Lebanon Happy New Year 2014 Malaysia Dilwale 2015 Nepal Pushpa 2: The Rule रु26,44,00,000 2024 Pakistan Sanju 2018 Saudi Arabia JawanUS$3,325,000 2023 Singapore EnthiranS$2,500,000 2010 South Korea Black 2009 Sri Lanka The Greatest of All TimeLKR 310,000,000 2024 Taiwan Dangal NT$166,966,601 2017 ThailandPathaanUS$100,000 2023 United Arab Emirates Jawan 2023 Africa Egypt My Name Is Khan 2010 Nigeria Dhurandhar: The Revenge₦60,994,946 2026 South Africa Dilwale$466,000 2015 Americas Argentina The Lunchbox 2014 Brazil 2014 CanadaDhurandhar: The RevengeCA$10,140,000 2026CaribbeanMaine Pyar KiyaUnknown1989 ColombiaThe Lunchbox 2014 GuyanaMaine Pyar KiyaUnknown1989 MexicoThe Lunchbox Mex$1,885,9722014 Peru Dilwale 2016 Trinidad and TobagoUS$258,000 2015 United StatesDhurandhar: The Revenge 2026 West IndiesDilwaleUnknown 2015 Eurasia Russia Delhi Safari ₽26,487,424 2012 Soviet Union Disco Dancer 60,000,000 руб 1984 Turkey Secret Superstar ₺1,902,634 2017 Europe AustriaThe Lunchbox€177,860 2013 Belgium €154,0852013 France Salaam Bombay!633,899 tickets 1988 GermanyMonsoon Wedding 2002 NetherlandsPathaan€616,337 2023 NorwayThe Lunchbox 2014 Italy Monsoon Wedding US$2,207,869 2001 Spain€1,612,703 2002 Sweden The Lunchbox 2014 Switzerland Samsara92,995 admits 2001 United Kingdom Dhurandhar: The Revenge £4,454,335 2026 Oceania Australia Dhurandhar: The Revenge 2026 Fiji Tiger Zinda HaiFJ$392,502 2017 New Zealand Pathaan 2023
Australia RankTitleGross ()Year1Dhurandhar: The RevengeA$8,333,67420262DhurandharA$5,597,7972025 3AnimalA$5,022,38720234PathaanA$4,720,71120235JawanA$4,682,07620236Baahubali 2: The ConclusionA$4,500,00020177Pushpa 2: The RuleA$4,483,06320248RRRA$3,598,59120229KGF: Chapter 2A$3,473,771202210PadmaavatA$3,163,4872018
China Rank Title Gross () Release year India China1Dangal¥1,299,181,400 2016 2017 2Secret Superstar¥747,068,700 2017 2018 3Andhadhun¥325,322,100 2018 2019 4Bajrangi Bhaijaan¥285,597,700 20152018 5Hindi Medium¥210,386,400 2017 2018 6Hichki¥149,574,700 2018 2018 7PK¥118,182,200 2014 2015 8Mom¥112,993,2002017 2019 9Toilet: Ek Prem Katha¥94,608,000 20172018 10Maharaja¥78,348,000 2024 2024
Japan RankTitleGross ()Release yearIndiaJapan1RRR202220222Muthu199519983Baahubali 2201720184Darbar2020202153 Idiots200920136Magadheera¥160,000,000200920187PK201220148The Lunchbox201320149Saaho20192020
Malaysia