Salman Khan has established himself as one of the most significant box-office attractions in Indian cinema for more than three decades. His career took off with the release of Maine Pyaar Kiya in 1989, and since then, he has delivered numerous major successes in Hindi films. However, his journey has not been without its failures, including one notable misstep that had ties to Hollywood, which ultimately resulted in a substantial box office disappointment.

Salman Khan's biggest box office bomb

In 2007, Salman Khan found himself at a pivotal moment in his career. The excitement of the 1990s had waned, a period during which he had been one of the leading stars alongside Shah Rukh Khan and Aamir Khan. His resurgence with the film Wanted was still two years away. During this transitional phase, the actor, who remained one of the industry's most prominent figures, ventured into an international project titled Marigold. Directed by Willard Carroll, the film featured Ali Larter as an American actress who travels to India and develops a romantic relationship with a local character portrayed by Salman. This film, a conventional Bollywood musical produced in both Hindi and English, premiered on August 17, 2007. With a production budget of ₹19 crore, Marigold underperformed at the box office, generating merely ₹21 lakh on its opening day and accumulating a total of ₹1.27 crore in India. Internationally, the film garnered only $250,000, resulting in a total worldwide gross of just over ₹2 crore.

Why Marigold failed

Marigold was met with unfavourable reviews upon its release, with the majority of critics describing it as clumsy and poorly executed. On Rotten Tomatoes, it holds a mere 30% approval rating based on 27 reviews. The consensus on the site states: "Marigold attempts the challenging feat of merging Bollywood films with American romantic comedies, resulting in an awkward fusion that fails to please fans of either genre." The film was perceived as overly sanitized by Indian audiences and excessively desi for Western viewers, failing to find a balance that would appeal to both. In India, its box office performance was hindered by Chak De India, which had debuted a week earlier and continued to perform well. Meanwhile, internationally, it was overshadowed by The Transformers.

The impact of Marigold's failure

Willard Carroll was a prominent American filmmaker recognized for his works such as The Runestone, Playing by Heart, and Tom's Midnight Garden prior to his arrival in India. However, Marigold marked his final directorial endeavour. He also withdrew from writing and producing films. The film's female lead, Ali Larter, was a familiar figure in Hollywood, known for her supporting roles in Legally Blonde, Final Destination, and the television series Heroes. Marigold was her sole Hindi film. In the same year, she achieved her Hollywood breakthrough with Resident Evil: Extinction. Since then, she has appeared in two sequels of the franchise but has experienced limited success outside of it.

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