Tanim Noor’s Utshob has been making waves not just in Bangladesh’s theatres but also in North America. The film, released during Eid, is performing strongly at domestic multiplexes and has now begun showing impressive results overseas.
Within its first three days, Utshob earned $53,000 in Canada and the United States, marking the third-highest opening for a Bangladeshi film in North America. This information was shared in a press release by the film’s international distributor, Swapno Scarecrow.
Citing data from Comscore, the distributor confirmed that Utshob currently ranks 21st on North America’s domestic box office chart (covering the US and Canada). The top three Bangladeshi openings in the region to date are: Hawa — $159,000 (from 86 theatres); Poran — $64,000 (from over 60 theatres); and Utshob — $53,000 (from 36 theatres).
Mohammad Oliullah Sajib, president of Swapno Scarecrow, shared the box office figures on social media, commenting: “The success of Utshob is incredibly remarkable, especially given it was released in just 36 theatres. Many of our prime locations — such as Vancouver, Detroit, Philadelphia, Calgary, and Los Angeles — weren’t even part of this run.”
He added, “Because of its June 20 release, Utshob faced stiff competition from big-budget films from Hollywood and India, resulting in unusual and limited showtimes — sometimes just one screening per day, often in the morning, afternoon, or late at night. Despite these challenges, the earnings prove the strong interest of North American audiences in Utshob.”
Utshob was released on June 20 across 37 theatres in Canada, the US, and the UK — including 6 in Canada, 30 in the US, and 1 in the UK.
The cities hosting screenings include Toronto, Montreal, Ottawa, Windsor, Edmonton, and Regina in Canada; New York, Dallas, Houston, Atlantic City, Washington DC, Buffalo, Nashville, Charlotte, Miami, Tampa, Orlando, Oklahoma City, Chicago, Phoenix, Atlanta, and the San Francisco Bay Area in the US; and London in the UK.
Directed by Tanim Noor, Utshob stars Zahid Hasan, Chanchal Chowdhury, Jaya Ahsan, Opi Karim, Sadia Ayman, and Soumya in lead roles, with special appearances by Afsana Mimi, Azad Abul Kalam, Intekhab Dinar, and Sunerah.
The film is produced by Dope Productions in association with Chorki and Laughing Elephant Production, with Brac Bank PLC as the presenting partner. International distribution is handled by Swapno Scarecrow.