Hindi
33rd HKIFF records 58% increase in registered filmmakers
HONG KONG: The 33rd edition of the Hong Kong International Film Festival (HKIFF), which kicked off yesterday, is shaping up to be the largest and the best attended ever. The event recorded a 58 per cent increase in registered filmmakers, celebrities and guests as compared to the previous edition in 2008. HKIFF will run through till 13 April, 2009.
Jackie Chan helped kick off the event yesterday by lending his star clout to HKIFF which opened with the world premiere of Chan‘s new Chinese language gangster thriller Shinjuku Incident.
Screening of over 300 titles from 50 countries, including 20 world premieres and 17 international premieres are scheduled during the current edition of HKIFF. Also, filmmakers from over 30 territories plan to introduce their films to the Hong Kong audience. This year’s Festival has had eager support from the audience with over 85 sold out screenings as on 22 March, including Monsters Vs. Aliens, The Badger Meinhof Complex and Yang Yang.
“The record attendance to the festival this year is a testament to the diverse and exhilarating programming, the value of the festival as a launch pad for films, and the discovery of film talent,” said HKIFF Society’s executive director Shaw Soo Wei. “The HKIFF represents a destination to capture the fastest growing markets, the abundance of co-production opportunities and film-project financing in Asia.”
With the increased number of directors, producers and cast members attending the festival, the screenings will see an increase of 66 per cent in its ‘Meet the Audience’ sessions from 64 to 106 this year. Film makers such as the three time Academy Award
Hindi
Dhurandhar the revenge storms past Rs 1,000 crore in a week, rewrites box office records
Aditya Dhar’s spy thriller sets fastest run to Rs 1,000 crore with record-breaking weekday hold
MUMBAI: The box office has a new juggernaut—and it is moving at breakneck speed. Dhurandhar the revenge has smashed past the Rs 1,000 crore mark worldwide in just a week, clocking a staggering Rs 1,088 crore and resetting the rules of the blockbuster game.
Backed by Jio Studios and B62 Studios, and directed by Aditya Dhar, the spy action sequel opened to the biggest weekend ever for an Indian film globally—and then refused to slow down. Unlike typical tentpole releases that taper off after Sunday, this one powered through the weekdays with rare muscle, posting Rs 64 crore on Monday, Rs 58 crore on Tuesday, Rs 49 crore on Wednesday and Rs 53 crore on Thursday.
The numbers stack up to a formidable first-week haul. India collections stand at Rs 690 crore nett and Rs 814 crore gross, while overseas markets have chipped in Rs 274 crore, taking the worldwide total to Rs 1,088 crore in just eight days.
The film’s opening weekend alone delivered Rs 466 crore, laying the foundation for what is now being billed as the fastest climb to the Rs 1,000 crore club in Indian cinema. Every single day of its first week has set fresh benchmarks, from the highest opening weekend to the strongest weekday hold—metrics that typically separate hits from phenomena.
A sequel to the earlier hit Dhurandhar, the film has not just built on its predecessor’s momentum but obliterated previous records, emerging as the biggest global blockbuster run by an Indian film to date.
At this pace, the film is not merely riding a wave—it is creating one.
