Indian cinema has started to gain some serious fan following overseas to the point where several recent releases have achieved impressive Day 1 pre-sales figures. Leading the way is Vijay’s Leo which earned a whopping $6.15 million in pre-sales.
The international appeal of Indian films has increased drastically in the last couple of years. Thanks to OTT platforms, many people have been introduced to Indian films on an enormous and accessible scale. This fanfare has even translated to the box office. This trend can be supported by the impressive Day 1 pre-sale figures of many films.
Here’s a look at the top overseas Day 1 pre-sales for Indian films since 2023:
1. Leo- $6.15M
Leo, directed by Lokesh Kanagaraj, is an action-thriller that follows a mild-mannered cafe owner who gets embroiled with a drug cartel. The film stars Vijay, Sanjay Dutt, Anurag Kashyap, Trisha Krishnan, Sanjay Dutt, and Madonna Sebastian.
2. Kalki 2898 AD- $5M
Kalki, directed by Nag Ashwin, is a dystopian science fiction film. The film follows Ashwatthama as he prepares for the birth of the next avatar of Lord Vishnu. The film features Prabhas, Deepika Padukone, Amitabh Bachchan, Dulquer Salmaan, and Disha Patani.
3. Salaar- $4M
Salaar: Part 1- Ceasefire is an epic action thriller directed and written by Prashanth Neel. The film is set in the fictional city of Khansaar. It follows the unlikely friendship between Deva, an exiled prince, and Varadha, the current prince of Khansaar. The film stars Prabhas, Prithviraj Sukumaran, Shruti Haasan, Sriya Reddy, and John Vijay.
4. The Greatest Of All Time- $3.1M
Directed by Venkat Prabhu, GOAT is the penultimate film of Vijay as he enters politics. The film is yet to release and stars Vijay in dual roles, Meenakshi Chaudhary, Malvika Sharma, and Prabhu Deva.
5. Jailer- $2.35M
Jailer is an action comedy film directed by Nelson Dilipkumar. It stars Rajnikanth as a retired prison guard who sets out on a quest to find his son.
6. Animal- $2.15M
Starring Ranbir Kapoor, Anil Kapoor, and Rashmika Mandanna, Animal tells the story of a mentally unstable man who goes on a suicide mission to find the man who tried to assassinate his father. Animal was written, directed, and edited by Sandeep Reddy Vanga.
7. Guntur Kaaram- $2.05M
Guntur Kaaram tells the story of a man whose politician mother deserts him. It stars Mahesh Babu in the lead role and is directed by Trivikram Srinivas.
8. Pathaan- $2.05M
Pathaan is an action-triller starring Shah Rukh Khan, Deepika Padukone, and John Abraham. It exists in the same universe as War and Tiger. Its written and directed by Siddharth Anand.
9. Indian 2- $1.75M
Indian 2 starring Kamal Haasan is a sequel to the 1996 Indian. It follows an ageing freedom fighter who becomes a vigilante to fight corruption. It is directed by S. Shankar.
10. Tiger 3- $1.75M
Tiger 3 is the third-installment of Salman Khan’s Tiger films. Directed by Maneesh Sharma the film features Katrina Kaif, Emraan Hashmi, Salman Khan, and Shah Rukh Khan.
11. Jawan- $1.73M
Jawan is the Hindi directorial debut of Atlee. The film features Shah Rukh Khan, Deepika Padukone, Nayanhara, and Vijay Sethupathi. It tells the story of a father and son who fight corruption.
