Entertainment Desk:

Tanim Noor’s film “Utshob” is doing well at the box office in Canada and the US, with a whopping gross collection of $93,000 (approximately BDT 11.3 million) in its opening week.

In terms of first-week earnings for Bangladeshi films in North America, the distributors claim that the film is the second-highest grossing ever, surpassing the previous second-highest, “Priyotoma”.

So, as of now, the Top 3 highest-grossing Bangladeshi films in North America (first week) are: “Hawa” with $271,000 (86 theatres), “Utshob” with $93,000 (36 theatres), and “Priyotoma” with $84,000 (42 theatres).

There’s now a bit of regret; had the film been released during an off-peak time, when theatre availability wasn’t an issue, it could have achieved a massive lifetime collection, according to Sajib Soptok, President of Swapna Scarecrow, the distributing company of the film.

Still, performing this well in a difficult release window, “Utshob” has stunned cinema chains.

It’s a major statement for Bangladeshi cinema in the mainstream global entertainment scene.

Inspired by Charles Dickens’ classic novella “A Christmas Carol”, the film has been directed by Tanim Noor.

The plot revolves around a miserly man who is visited by the spirits of his three former business partners on the night of a festival. The spirits take him through a journey into his past, present, and future, prompting a transformation within the character.

The cast features Zahid Hasan, Jaya Ahsan, Chanchal Chowdhury, Aupee Karim, Tariq Anam Khan, Intekhab Dinar, Sadia Ayman, and Shoumya Joyti, among others.