In 2024, Bollywood experienced disappointment at the box office, with only Stree 2 achieving significant success, earning Rs597 crore ($94.9 million) from all regions.
Telugu films like Pushpa 2 and Kalki 2898 AD, on the other hand, dominated the Indian cinema scene and picked up substantial earnings, highlighting shifting audience preferences towards pan-India cinema.
Rising ticket costs also impacted theatre attendance.
Bollywood’s formulaic stories and action thrillers failed to impress audiences, who turned to Telugu blockbusters for larger-than-life stories.
The Hindi film industry largely banked on nostalgia of re-releases like Laila Majnu, Tumbbad, Veer Zaara and others to bring viewers to theatres. But, except for the horror-comedy Stree 2, no other Hindi film touched the Rs500 crore mark.
Malayalam superstar Mohanlal said the success of films like Pushpa 2 are important for the Indian film industry.
“To make an entertainer and bring out a big success is not an easy thing. It requires a lot of patience and many other factors. It is a magic recipe and nobody knows the formula. Pushpa and films like that are turning the wheel of the Indian film industry,” the actor told news agency Press Trust of India.
Like Pushpa 2, Nag Ashwin’s futuristic retelling of Mahabharata in Kalki, starring Telugu superstar Prabhas with prominent roles by Amitabh Bachchan and Deepika Padukone, struck a chord with audiences in the Hindi belt.
The film’s Hindi version, released in June, made more than Rs290 crore, according to trade website Sacnilk.
This is in stark contrast to 2023 when Bollywood registered four blockbusters – Pathaan and Jawan, which raked in more than Rs1,000 crore each at the worldwide box office, and Sunny Deol’s Gadar 2 and Ranbir Kapoor’s Animal.
“I would not call it a bad year for Bollywood, but yes, if you compare to 2023, we had only four films crossing Rs400 crore at the box office,” trade analyst Taran Adarsh told PTI. “Box office can be unpredictable and there are phases. But there are lessons to be learnt, we need to make films that cater to pan-India audiences. Bollywood will, hopefully, bounce back in a big way next year.”
Amit Sharma, managing director of Miraj Entertainment, said 2024 was “disastrous” for Hindi cinema.
“The business was down by at least 30 per cent compared to 2023 where we had Pathaan, Gadar 2, Jawan, Animal, Dunki, Fukrey and Dream Girl 2,” he said. “When it comes to Bollywood in 2024, you can’t really speak about anything apart from Stree 2 and to an extent Bhool Bhulaiyaa 3 and Singham and films like Laapata Ladies and Shaitaan. Commercially there is no comparison between 2024 and 2023.”
Horror-comedy seemed to be the most successful genre in Bollywood, as not just Stree 2 but Kartik Aaryan’s Bhool Bhulaiyaa 3 and Maddock Films’ Munjya also did decent business at the box office.
But the Hindi cinema’s big bet on action movies, starting the year with Siddharth Anand’s Fighter, failed to yield good results.
Fighter, starring Hrithik Roshan and Deepika, couldn’t replicate the success of the 2023 Shah Rukh Khan starrer Pathaan, which was also directed by Anand.
The movie, made on a big budget, reportedly around Rs250 crore, and featuring high octane action sequences, underperformed at the box office, earning just Rs212 crore, according to Sacnilk.
The Ajay Devgn-starrer Singham Again, the latest entry from filmmaker Rohit Shetty’s cop universe, amassed Rs247 crore. It did decent business but fell short of being a blockbuster.
Other major disappointments at the ticket window were Yodha starring Sidharth Malhotra, Akshay Kumar’s Bade Miyan Chote Miyan, Devgn’s Maidaan, Aaryan’s Chandu Champion and the Alia Bhatt-starrer Jigra.
It was a good year for medium-budget films such as Shaitaan, Munjya and Crew which did profitable business. Amid the lacklustre run of new films at the ticket window, exhibitors relied on several old Hindi classics to fill the theatres.
Shah Rukh’s Karan Arjun, Kal Ho Naa Ho, Dilwale Dulhania Le Jayenge and Chak De! India returned to the big screen.
Anurag Kashyap’s 2012 hit Gangs of Wasseypur, Salman Khan’s Maine Pyar Kiya, Rehnaa Hai Terre Dil Mein featuring Madhavan and Dia Mirza, as well as Rockstar, Jab We Met, Yeh Jawani Hai Deewani also made a comeback to theatres.
Audiences particularly embraced the Imtiaz Ali-produced Laila Majnu, starring Avinash Tiwary and Triptii Dimri, and actor-producer Sohum Shah’s mythological thriller Tumbbad. The two films performed better at the box office as compared to their initial run.
In a recent interview with PTI, actor Manoj Bajpayee admitted that Hindi cinema is going through a lull phase.
“It is definitely forcing filmmakers to think differently. I’m hopeful that it will go back to its natural self very soon. I don’t see it as a problem because creative people always find a way,” he said.
