Ajay Devgn and R Madhavan’s Hindi film Shaitaan is winning at the global box office and has earned $14.2 million worldwide in seven days. Vikas Bahl, of Queen and Super 30 fame, directed the film which features Devgn, Jyothika and Madhavan in pivotal roles.
Shaitaan made a collection of $9 million in seven days in India. By the end of its second Friday, the film managed to cross $15 million worldwide. It made an impressive global opening of $9.7 million when it released in theatres on March 8. The film also made it to Comscore’s list of top grossing films in the US over the weekend ending March 10. It made $725,100 in the US markets in the first weekend.
After making a worldwide opening collection of $2.6 million on March 8, Shaitaan saw an impressive growth. The second, and third day collections stood at $3.5 million and $3.6 million. Of the $2.6 million, collections from India alone contributed $2 million. The film’s first weekend gross collection in India stood at $7.9 million. Shaitaan is the second-highest opening Hindi film of 2024 and is also ranked as Madhavan’s highest-opening film ever.
Shaitaan had a wide release across more than three thousand screens in India. It is a remake of the 2023 Gujrati film Vash and has been written by Aamil Keeyan Khan. It tells a family’s story from a scary night that ensued after they met a stranger while on their way to a short trip to their farmhouse.
Devgn plays the caring and fun-loving man who is willing to do anything to protect his children, while Madhavan is the fierce stranger who causes havoc in their lives. Jyothika (Chandramukhi, Ponmagal Vandhal fame) plays Devgn’s wife and Anngad Raaj is their youngest son. Janki Bodiwala plays the daughter in the new Hindi film, as well as the original Gujrati movie. Krishnadev Yagnik wrote and directed the original film Vash. Shaitaan is produced by Devgn Films and Panorama Studios, with Jio Studios presenting the film.
Shaitaan takes the premise of a regular Indian family chatting up a stranger at a roadside restaurant and turns it into a scary opportunity to teach an important lesson – beware of strangers being too informal. The brilliant performances help the story sail through. Though, a lack of coherence and logic undermines it. Madhavan’s fierce performance, Devgn’s and Jyothika’s helplessness, and Bodiwala’s fearsome portrayal of a possessed girl are spine-chilling.
Meanwhile, Article 370 has crossed $12 million at the global box office in three weeks. The film features Yami Gautam in the lead role and released on February 23. The movie showcases Gautam as a secret agent who unravels the story behind the removal of the special status of the Indian state of Kashmir.
The latest Hindi release Yodha has also garnered love from the audiences. Making a worldwide gross of $723,600 and gross collections of $600,000 in India, the film is expected to witness an upward trend over the weekend. Directed by Sagar Ambre and backed by Dharma Productions, the film features Sidharth Malhotra (Shershah, The Villain fame) in the lead role. Yodha also features Raashi Khanna, and Disha Patani in important roles.