Bollywood superstar Shah Rukh Khan’s upcoming film ‘King’ is already seeing massive traction, ruling the overseas box office ahead of its worldwide release later this year.
This comes as big-budget South Indian films dominate the domestic market with their pan-India releases.
Setting a fresh record for Indian cinema, the overseas theatrical rights for ‘King’ have reportedly been acquired for a staggering ₹175 crore, highlighting King Khan’s unmatched global appeal and the enduring loyalty of his international fans.
According to a Pinkvilla report, Phars Films has secured the overseas distribution rights for ‘King’ at ₹175 crore, which is over $18 million.
Before ‘King’, handled the international release of Shah Rukh Khan’s films — having successfully done so for both ‘Pathaan’ and ‘Jawan’ in 2023.
No newcomer to the overseas market, Phars Films has worked alongside YRF on several titles and independently distributed Prabhas’ ‘Saaho’.
Phars has paid a minimum guarantee of ₹175 crore for the rights, Pinkvilla reported. The ₹175 crore is a staggering mark, considering that no Indian film has crossed the ₹100 crore mark overseas so far.
“We are delighted to have Phars Film as our overseas distributor for the much-anticipated film ‘King’,” said Venky Mysore, CEO of Red Chillies Entertainment. “Phars extensive international reach and market expertise will significantly strengthen the film’s global prospects.”
Golchin, chairman of Phars Film, called the actor a “global icon” and said his cinematic influence “knows no boundaries”.
“We at Phars Film feel it is an immense source of pride to bring ‘King’, featuring the renowned Shah Rukh Khan, to the big screen,” he said in a statement. “For us, obtaining this distinguished deal represents a major achievement, and we are delighted to take a role in presenting a film of such scale and importance to the public.”
“It is both a privilege and a great source of pride for our whole team that we are bringing ‘King’ to the big screen. We look forward to ensuring that this much-anticipated release becomes a truly unforgettable theatrical experience for audiences,” he added.
According to a Times of India (TOI) report, the minimum guarantee a distributor According to a Times of India report, this massive minimum guarantee reflects high distributor confidence in the film’s global theatrical run.
However, it sets a steep financial bar: because overseas distributors typically retain only 50% of gross collections, King will need to gross approximately $37–$40 million ( ₹350–375 crore) internationally just to break even.
To put this in perspective, King must match or exceed the overseas performance of Khan’s previous blockbusters, Pathaan and Jawan, which each grossed nearly ₹400 crore internationally.
Given the steep minimum guarantee, the film’s overseas collections will need to rival the heights of Dhurandhar 2 ( ₹460 crore) and RRR ( ₹430 crore)—meaning it must rank among the highest-grossing Indian films ever in international markets just to turn a profit.
Directed by Siddharth Anand, ‘King’ features Shah Rukh Khan, Deepika Padukone, Suhana Khan, Rani Mukerji, and Abhishek Bachchan, among others. It reunites Padukone with the filmmaker after “Pathaan” and “Fighter”.
The ensemble also includes , Raghav Juyal and Saurabh Shukla.
For the first time, King Khan will share a screen with his daughter Suhana Khan, following her acting debut in in 2023.
SRK is returning to the screen after a gap of three years. The superstar had three theatrical releases in 2023, “Pathaan”, “Jawan” and “Dunki”. King is set to hit theatres on December 24.
