UPDATE, MONDAY AM: Indian actioner Dhoom 3 has set new benchmarks for a Bollywood movie at home and abroad. Distributor Yash Raj Films made a calculated decision not to release the movie with Thursday night previews and to instead go out day-and-date in key markets on Friday, increasing the frenzy surrounding the title. In India, it took $17.64M, breaking all previous records. On the international front, it took $3.435M in North America on 236 screens, outpacing the earlier estmate of $3.305M for the best Bollywood opening weekend ever. In the United Arab Emirates, it was at $2.801M; the UK was $1.451M, for the highest Bollywood non-holiday three-day weekend. In Australia the take was $765K and in Pakistan it was $630,500 for the biggest Bollywood openings of all time. Dhoom‘s total international weekend cume was $10.17M for a worldwide total of $28.11M. The next territories to release over the coming days are Morocco, the Maldives, Rwanda, Lebanon, Egypt, Germany, Peru, Romania, Japan, Russia, CIS and Turkey, with others to follow.

PREVIOUS, SUNDAY AM: With the estimates now tallied, Dhoom 3 has set a new record for biggest opening weekend of a Bollywood film ever in North America. The actioner’s three-day cume is estimated at $3.305M, overtaking the previous record holder Chennai Express, which grossed $2.22M when it bowed last August. At 236 playdates, Dhoom 3 had a strong per-screen average of $14,004 this weekend. The breakdown is $1.075M for Friday, $1.129M on Saturday and $940,000 on Sunday.

PREVIOUS, SATURDAY AM: Dhoom 3, the action thriller that is also playing like gangbusters in India, is tallying up records in North America this weekend. The opening day estimate on the Bollywood film in 236 theaters is $1.075M and it is on track for a $3.5M three-day weekend. That marks the biggest opening ever for a Bollywood title in North America. Dhoom 3 now has the distinction of being the first Bollywood movie to do over $1M on its opening day. It also scored the highest opening gross for any Indian movie, surpassing the previous record holder, Disney‘s UTV love story Chennai Express (which grossed an estimated $745K for its Friday). On Dhoom‘s opening day, it had a per screen average of about $4,500 versus Chennai‘s roughly $3,800. This has been a strong year for Bollywood in North America. Before Chennai Express was released, romcom Yeh Jawaani Hai Deewani broke into the Top 10 on its June opening with a $1.3M first weekend take. It must be noted that Yash Raj Films‘ Dhoom 3 has the widest release also to date. Dhoom 3, written and directed by Vijay Krishna Acharya and produced by Aditya Chopra, is considered to be one of the most expensive Indian films of all time and its running time is almost three hours. The high-tech heist actioner shot with Chicago as its backdrop is about a circus star out for revenge when his father dies who goes after the Chicago banker that led to his demise. The franchise is also playing in India to phenom numbers – translating to $6.1M in U.S. dollars. It is also setting records as the highest opener in Australia, more than doubling the previous Indian film, Jab Tak Hai Jaan and also in the UAE. Dhoom 3 stars Aamir Khan, Abhishek Bachchan, Uday Chopra, and Katrina Kaif. Check out the trailer: