Choorian, not Waar retains title as Pakistan’s highest-grossing film

So far Waar has collected Rs170 million, compared to Syed Noor's Choorian which grossed a total of Rs200 million. PHOTO: FILE

KARACHI: According to the box office stats collection on Monday, Waar has grossed a whopping Rs168.3 million rupees in its three-week run. But the Bilal Lashari hit is still not the highest-grossing Pakistani film – that title remains with Syed Noor’s Choorian!

Since the release of Waar, there has been much talk of box office collection. Having bagged arecord first day opening, followed by a record-breaking Eid collection and then the biggest first week opening for any film in Pakistan, the Shaan-starrer went on to beat Chennai Express’ records and caused Boss to flop at the local box office. Compared with Choorian, however, Waar is still behind in the box office race.

Syed Noor’s 1998 film Choorian gathered a grand total of Rs200 million and that, too, merely on 20 to 22 screens, whereas Waar was released on 52 screens. Choorian was a well-executed family drama bolstered by excessive marketing done by Shalimar Television Network. The result was a box office sensation.

With the onset of Muharram and Krrish 3 as competition, it is still uncertain whether Waar will become Pakistan’s all-time highest-grossing film by surpassing the Rs200 million mark. However, back-to-back houseful shows on weekdays suggest that there is hope for the Shaan-starrer to surpass Chooriyan.