The Legend of Maula Jatt earns $10m globally
The film became the first Pakistani film to cross the $10 million mark worldwide.
Pakistan’s biggest film ‘The Legend of Maula Jatt’ collected $10 million at the global box office and became the first Pakistani film to cross the $10 million mark worldwide.
According to Variety, Bilal Lashari’s “The Legend of Maula Jatt,” starring Pakistani superstars Fawad Khan and Mahira Khan, is now officially the highest-grossing Pakistani film of all time.
Produced by Ammara Hikmat’s Encyclomedia and Lashari Films, the film released on Oct. 13, 2022 and has had worldwide collections of $10 million, including $4.2 million in Pakistan. It has far surpassed the $3.2 million grossed globally by previous record holder “Jawani Phir Nahi Ani 2” in 2018.
After Pakistan, the most successful territory for the film has been the U.K., where it is distributed by Pranab Kapadia of Moviegoers Entertainment. It has collected £1.43 million ($1.7 million) in the territory, going past 2018’s “Sanju” that took $1.6 million, making it the highest grossing South Asian film there since “Padmaavat,” which grossed $2.5 million, also in 2018. The next highest 2022 grosser from South Asia in the U.K. is “Ponniyin Selvan-1” with $1.5 million.
The Punjabi-language “The Legend of Maula Jatt” is a reboot of Yunus Malik’s 1979 cult classic “Maula Jatt.” The cast for the film, which is one of the biggest budgeted in the history of Pakistani cinema, also includes Hamza Ali Abbasi, Humaima Malik, Faris Shafi and Gohar Rasheed. The film focuses on the legendary rivalry between local hero Maula Jatt (Fawad Khan) and Noori Natt (Hamza Ali Abbasi), the leader of a brutal gang. Mahira Khan plays Mukkho, a fiery village woman who is Maula Jatt’s romantic interest.
Khan says that the globally positive reaction to the film was unexpected and that it is the “quintessential reaction” to a good film. The actor’s feelings are shared by her producer and director.
“What a fantastic journey our film has had since its release. The love and appreciation from audiences has made this 10-year ride worth every moment. It is heartening to see people embrace regional cinema across the globe. I hope the success of ‘The Legend of Maula Jatt’ will pave the way for stories from Pakistan for a worldwide audience,” Lashari told Variety.
Hikmat added: “Getting noticed outside Punjabi cinema’s area of influence has been remarkable for the film. It would be an understatement if I say that the attention film received, came as a surprise. Yet it felt quite surreal when it got the appreciation and box office success everyone involved in the film had always dreamt of.”
