‘Shaittaan’ Global Box Office Brings in a Strong Opening

Ajay Devgn, R Madhavan (The Railway Men), and Jyothika (Kaathal – The Core)-starrer psychological thriller, Shaitaan, has opened to a massive nod at the box office over the opening weekend. With the title literally translating to “The Devil,” the horror flick revolves around the plot of a home invasion with a supernatural twist. As per Variety, the supernatural-horror flick has garnered a robust global weekend gross of $9.8 million, encompassing earnings from both Indian and international markets. Internationally, the film has been able to rake in a weekend gross of $1.8 million, securing its position as Ajay Devgn’s second-highest overseas opening.

That’s right — Shaitaan, helmed by Vikas Bahl himself, falls right behind the $2.3 million overseas opening ofDrishyam 2 in 2022, another successful project by Panorama Studios. To help you get a better grasp of how well it has done over the weekend — since its opening day on March 8, Shaitaan has visibly taken a jump of 64.7 percent in major territories of the USA, Canada, UK, Australia, and New Zealand, as reported by Koimoi.

The film marks the first collaboration between the trending Indian billionaire Mukesh Ambani’s Jio studios, Bollywood veteran and film lead Ajay Devgn’s Devgn Films, and Panorama Studios. So not only has Shaitaan fared well with the audience, but the film has also broken multiple records, helping Devgn score his sixth-biggest weekend of all time!

‘Shaitaan’ Is A Remake of The 2023 Gujarati Film ‘Vash’

The film follows the story of a man named Kabir, played by Devgn, and his family, whose weekend getaway goes wrong when they invite a stranger, played by Madhavan into their home. Directed by Vikas Bahl, the film puts a Bollywood spin on home invasion thrillers such as Funny Games and Knock Knock, with the surprise element of black magic. While the original film, Vash, failed to perform at the box office, the Hindi remake has been outperforming it in all aspects.

With an interesting premise and solid performances by the cast, the film has found its footing among the top 10 biggest weekend openers for Ajay Devgn. Other films on the list include Golmaal Again, Singham Returns, and crime-thriller Dirishyam 2 which has a lifetime gross of $43 million worldwide. In fact, Panorama is also working on international expansion by remaking the first Drishyam film in English to bring the franchise to Hollywood. For now, Devgn’s involvement in the Hollywood adaptation of the franchise remains undisclosed.

But as far as Shaitaan is concerned, the film is expected to maintain its box office momentum internationally and domestically. Shaitaan is currently streaming in theaters all over the world and will also be available to stream on Netflix once its theatrical run is over.