Rakesh Roshan's Krrish, billed as India's first real superhero movie, has blasted its wayinto Bollywood's blockbuster league by grossing an estimated $15m (Rs690m) inits opening week (June 23-29).

The $10m film has alsobecome a hit in overseas markets, debuting at number nine at the UK box office in its opening weekend (June 23-25) with$382,962 from 46 screens, despite the ongoing World Cup.

In comparison, Koi Mil Gaya, a film about aliens towhich Krrish is a kind of sequel,made about $7.6m-$7.8m in its opening week.

"In certain regions, such asCentral India, Phir Hera Pheri made around$20,000 in the first show [across the whole region], Fanaa pulled in $22,000 while Krrishtook a phenomenal $30,500-plus," said trade analyst Komal Nahata comparing thefilm to two other recent Bollywood hits.

The film's success is partlyexplained by its wide release on close to 1,000 prints and the large number ofshows programmed by multiplexes. According to local reports, even 6am shows of the film were booked to capacity in smallertowns.

In addition Roshan hasdubbed the Hindi-language film into regional languages Tamil and Telugu tobroaden its appeal.

Produced by Roshan'sFilmKraft Productions, Krrish tellsthe story of a young man who inherits super powers from aliens and goes on tofight crime in Singapore where much of the film was shot. Yashraj Films isdistributing in India while Adlabs is handling international distribution.

With no major Hindi filmreleased last week, Krrish looks setto continue its dream flight at the box office in its second week. Meanwhile, Hollywood's most recent superhero offering, Superman Returns, opened in India on July 1.