Mumbai: Seven weeks before King reaches a theatre, the film has already done business that most Hindi releases do not manage in a lifetime.
Trade reports put Shah Rukh Khan's Christmas release at about ₹665 crore in pre-release deals. Overseas rights went to Phars Films at a reported record minimum guarantee of ₹175 crore, a figure no Indian film has crossed before. Indian distribution was sold to Pen Marudhar for ₹250 crore. Streaming went to Netflix for ₹150 crore, with a rider tied to its theatrical performance, meaning that number can move with the box office. Satellite and music rights fetched ₹25 crore and ₹65 crore.
The costs are just as large. King was mounted on a ₹300-crore budget, the same as Khan's last release, Jawan. Reports from trade trackers say the budget climbed to almost ₹400 crore during production. Red Chillies Entertainment is spending close to ₹50 crore on marketing. Once Khan's notional fee is included, the landing cost is estimated at up to ₹550 crore.
That is the number the film has to clear in net earnings before anyone calls it a hit. Distributors have their own threshold: the ₹425 crore global distribution fee.
If Khan's films follow their usual 60:40 split between domestic and overseas gross, the film would need roughly ₹400 crore net, or ₹500 crore gross, in India and ₹150 crore net, or ₹300 crore gross, overseas — a global haul of about ₹800 crore. That is the ground Rajinikanth's Jailer 2 has covered so far, and the ground Vicky Kaushal's Chhaava covered last year.
King is Khan's first release in more than three years, since Rajkumar Hirani's Dunki. It reunites him with Siddharth Anand after Pathaan in 2023, and pairs him on screen for the first time with his daughter, Suhana Khan. Deepika Padukone, Rani Mukerji and Abhishek Bachchan are in the cast.
The campaign began on November 2, Khan's birthday, with the first song. The film arrives on December 24.