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Hum Saath-Saath Hain Bags $ 2.2 m in 17 Days

Arthur J Pais

Showing fine stamina, Hum Saath-Saath Hain, Rajshri's wedding fest on the big screen, grossed $ 258,000 in North America and about $ 95,000 in the United Kingdom last weekend.

In 17 days, it has grossed about $ 1.6 million in America and $ 600,000 in England. In America, where it runs on about 50 screens, it was ranked 25 on Variety's box-office chart while in England, where it is showing on 25 screens, the hit movie was the 13th highest grosser last week.

Despite competition from Dillagi, which is being released next week in North America by Eros, who also distributed Hum Saath-Saath Hain, the latter is expected to continue doing robust business for another four weeks.

Om Puri's extraordinary performance as a rigid Pakistani immigrant is helping East Is East turn into a big hit.

Last weekend, it vaulted from the fifth position on the box-office chart to the second, earning about $ 1.7 million at the weekend, with its cumulative box-office gross reaching $ 4.2 million. The film, which was on 80 screens in its first two weeks, is now showing on 246 screens.

In England, East Is East was overtaken for the top position on the chart by Manoj Night Shyamalan's The Sixth Sense, which grossed about $ 5 million on 432 screens, with about $ 18 million.

But it is in Brazil that the movie has turned into a super hit, scoring its highest gross in South America. It has grossed about $ 9 million in four weeks and could end with over $ 15 million.

"There is no point in speculating how much this film will eventually make abroad," says one box office expert. "Whenever it sets a record, and the experts say it would end up, say, with $ 200 million, the movie surprises people by setting up a record elsewhere and bringing in big bucks."

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