This Diwali, it’s a mega box office clash between Ajay Devgn and Kareena Kapoor starrer Singham Again and Kartik Aryan’s Bhool Bhulaiyaa 3. Bollywood has immense hopes that these movies could revive its glory at the box office.
The hope does not seem misplaced for both the moviegoers as well as fans of Ajay Devgn and Kartik Aaryan. Both Singham Again and Bhool Bhulaiyaa 3 are in a tense battle to secure the top spot on IMDb’s list of most anticipated new Indian movies and shows.
As per this list, around 53 per cent of moviegoers are excited about Kartik Aaryan’s horror-comic caper. Roughly 33 per cent are amped up about Rohit Shetty’s next outing at the box office after the disaster that was Cirkus.
BB3 is likely to do well because of the recall value associated with the Bhool Bhulaiyaa 3 franchise and more so because supernatural and horror comedy films are the flavour of the season. Among the top performers at the box office are Ajay Devgn and R Madhavan starrer Shaitaan, Maddock Films’ bankrolled Munjya and the mega-blockbuster Stree 2.
Singham Again not only has the franchise factor going for it but also the hype around it due to references to the Hindu epic Ramayana.
2024 box office report
2024 has been particularly dismal for the Hindi film industry at the ticket counters as half the films tanked within the first week itself. Even though Fighter impressed Cinephiles, it couldn’t make much of an impact at the box office.
Bollywood’s woes at the theatres worsened when films such as Auron Mein Kahan Dum Tha, Sarfira, Khel Khel Mein, Bad Newz and Mr and Mrs Mahi also did not augur well with the audiences. This was an indication that the content of star-driven Bollywood is the king.
Rajkummar Rao and Shraddha Kapoor starrer Stree 2 has emerged as the year’s biggest blockbuster. Stree 2 was widely appreciated for its story as well as performances by Rajkummar Rao, Shraddha Kapoor and Pankaj Tripathi. The film also passed the box office test with flying colours because of its rustic setting and how characters from the previous Maddock-backed films were integrated into the screenplay.
Sohum Shah’s Tumbbad, which was re-released in theatres after six years, outdid the likes of The Buckingham Murders at the ticket counters. Tumbbad was re-released in theatres due to massive audience demand, and it did well because of its unique concept.
Coming to women-centric films, Stree 2, in fact, has been the only one that has done well at the ticket counters this year. Films such as Ulajh failed to make an impact at the box office as they raked in only Rs 9.07 crore at the domestic box office and Rs 11.26 crore globally during their 14-day long run.
The film could not work due to the fact it spends most of its running minutes explaining what’s going on and who to trust or not to. Alia Bhatt’s Jigra, Sharvari Wagh-led Vedaa, and Kareena Kapoor’s The Buckingham Murders have also failed to impress cinephiles.
South comes to the rescue
When Bollywood failed to make an impact at the box office, the South Indian industry came to the rescue of exhibitors, distributors and multiplexes. Prabhas-led Kalki 2898 AD helped the theatres stay afloat in the first half of 2024 as it contributed more than 60 per cent of the box office business in June.
Coming to the second half of 2024, south Indian films — Jr NTR’s RRR follow-up Devara: Part 1 and Thalapathy Vijay’s The Greatest of All Time were the top two contributors to the box office business.
“As of September 2024, four out of the top 10 films of the year come from Telugu cinema. Devara Part – 1 becomes the latest addition to this list, which also has Kalki 2898 AD, Hanu-Man, and Guntur Kaaram in it,” Ormax Media said in a report.
