'Dangal' becomes China's biggest non-Hollywood foreign film

BEIJING: The Aamir Khan film Dangal, about an Indian man training his daughters to become wrestlers, has become China's biggest-grossing non-Hollywood foreign movie.
The Indian film, whose name translates as Let's Wrestle, Dad, was released in China on May 5. By Tuesday, it had pulled in 806 million yuan (RM502 million) in mainland China, according to data from EntGroup, a leading entertainment consultancy.
The previous top-performing non-Hollywood foreign film was the 2016 Your Name, a Japanese fantasy drama. It made 577 million yuan at the Chinese box office.
Media and online commentary has said Dangal, which is based on a true story, impressed audiences with its message of giving girls opportunities in a male-centric society, and has prompted discussions over how strict parents should or should not be when raising their children.
Actor and producer Khan had already built up a following in China following the success of his previous films 3 Idiots and PK. The Bollywood star has garnered 640,000 followers on the Twitter-like Sina Weibo since opening an account in early April. — AP