If 2023 marked Bollywood’s comeback year with a blockbuster revival, 2024 has been a “semi-hit” year, unanimously state trade experts. “The year started with a whimper,” rues trade analyst Taran Adarsh, adding, “Fighter (first release of this year starring Hritik Roshan-Deepika Padukone) didn’t meet expectations, especially with (filmmaker) Siddharth Anand riding high after Pathaan. It ended similarly with Baby John, which crashed on day two. Between these films, it’s been a case of kabhi kabhi khushi, kabhi bahut saara gham. Last year, we had four Rs. 500-crore grossers — Pathaan, Jawan, Gadar 2 and Animal. This year, big-budget films like Bade Miyan Chote Miyan and Maidaan tanked, and even Singham Again fell short of expectations.”

Surprisingly, horror turned out to be Bollywood’s lucky charm this year. Films like Munjya, Shaitaan, Stree 2: Sarkate Ka Aatank and Bhool Bhulaiyaa 3 broke genre barriers. Trade expert Atul Mohan observes, “Horror has been a hit-or-miss genre for our industry. These films changed that narrative.”

Old films found new love in 2024. The Avinash Tiwary-Triptii Dimri-starrer Laila Majnu (2018) became a sensation during its re-release. Similarly, Rockstar (2011), starring Ranbir Kapoor, saw renewed love. Movies such as Rehnaa Hai Tere Dil Mein (2001) and Veer-Zaara (2004) also pulled crowds to theatres. This trend shows no signs of slowing, with Yeh Jawaani Hai Deewani (2013) gearing up for a return.

A major conversation this year revolved around escalating production costs and actor fees. Consequently, films made on controlled budgets stood out. Munjya, made on Rs. 30 crore, tripled its investment. Its director, Aditya Sarpotdar, says, “Even we didn’t anticipate these numbers, because it starred newcomers, was local in its flavour, had a CGI character.”

Yami Gautam’s Article 370 and Prasanth Varma’s HanuMan were other winners, with HanuMan delivering an impressive 241% ROI on a Rs. 25-crore budget.

Another triumph of controlled budgets was Laapataa Ladies. Sarpotdar credits its success to producer support: “Aamir Khan backing the movie further elevated its success. Even small profits matter when you consider the economics.”

Franchise films continued to wield power this year, with Pushpa 2 – The Rule raking in massive numbers, especially from its Hindi-dubbed version. Other sequels like Stree 2 and Bhool Bhulaiyaa 3 (BB3) also performed exceptionally well.

Anees Bazmee, director of BB3, says, “Sequels enjoy goodwill, but you must deliver a good film. If one part fails, it’s not just the film that suffers; the entire franchise collapses.”

STREE 2

Budget: Rs. 60 crore

Box Office: Rs. 579 crore

PUSHPA 2 - THE RULE

Budget: Rs. 450 crore

Box Office: Rs. 700 crore

MUNJYA

Budget: Rs. 30 crore

Box Office: Rs. 107 crore

SHAITAAN

Budget: Rs. 60 crore

Box Office: Rs. 148 crore

BHOOL BHULAIYAA 3

Budget: Rs. 150 crore

Box Office: Rs. 245 crore

KALKI 2898AD

Budget: Rs. 600 crore

Box Office: Rs. 285 crore

ARTICLE 370

Budget: Rs. 20 crore

Rs. 77 crore

BADE MIYAN CHOTE MIYAN

Budget: Rs. 350 crore

Box Office: Rs. 59 crore

FIGHTER

Budget: Rs. 250 crore

Box Office: Rs. 200 crore

BABY JOHN

Budget: Rs. 160 crore

Box Office: Rs. 19 crore

MAIDAAN

Budget: Rs. 250 crore

Box Office: Rs. 51 crore

JIGRA

Budget: Rs. 80 crore

Box Office: Rs. 31 crore