It is no secret that 2024 has been a year of mixed fortunes for the Hindi film industry so far. Several big-ticket movies have not lived up to expectations at the box office. Moreover, the fact that the fact that the Khans did not have a release in the first half added to the industry’s worries. However, some small and medium-budget films sprung a surprise and this gave fans a reason to rejoice. Additionally, a couple of South films became the toast of the town in the Hindi belt. With that, here are the biggest takeaways for Bollywood from the first half of 2024
The year started on a disappointing note for the Hindi film industry as ‘Fighter’, starring Hrithik Roshan, didn’t live up to the expectations at the box office. The Siddharth Anand-directed actioner, which was shot on a budget of Rs 250 crore, raked in merely Rs 337 crore at the global box office and failed to meet the standards the director set for himself with ‘Pathaan’.
Similarly, Eid proved to be a disappointing period for the Hindi film industry as ‘Bade Miyan Chote Miyan’ and Ajay Devgn’s ‘Maidaan’ bombed at the box office. The biographical sports drama earned nearly Rs 68 crore worldwide on a budget of Rs 235 crore. Ali Abbas Zafar’s action-comedy, on the other hand, collected Rs 102 on a budget of Rs 350.
The film industry then received a major shock in June when Kartik Aaryan’s highly-ambitious film ‘Chandu Champion’ tanked at the box office. It raked in nearly Rs 78 crore on a budget of Rs 140 crore, falling short of expectations.
While big-ticket films failed to make an impact at the box office, a few relatively smaller films brought joy to the industry. ‘Teri Baaton Mein Aisa Uljha Jiya’, starring Shahid Kapoor and Kriti Sanon, grossed nearly Rs 134 crore on a budget of Rs 75 crore. It hit screens in February. Article 370, which opened in theatres a few weeks later, too exceeded expectations as it grossed over Rs 110 crore globally on a budget of merely Rs 20 crore.
March too proved a memorable month on this front. ‘Shaitaan’, shot on a budget of Rs 60 crore, entered the Rs 200-crore club worldwide and emerged as one of the biggest hits of the year. Similarly, ‘Madgaon Express’ sprung a surprise despite releasing alongside Randeep Hooda’s ‘Swatantrya Veer Savarkar’. The Divyenndu-led comedy collected Rs 48 crore on a budget of Rs 30 crore. The month also saw the release of ‘Crew’, starring Tabu and Kareena Kapoor Khan, The heist-comedy received decent reviews and raked in Rs 157 crore globally on a modest budget Rs 75 crore. Rajkummar Rao’s ‘Srikanth’ too proved to be a moderate success despite releasing amid limited fanfare. It grossed Rs 62 crore globally, a decent figure given its niche subject.
It was, however, ‘Munjiya’ that proved to be the biggest newsmaker on this front. The Sharvari-fronted horror-comedy collected an impressive 111 crore globally on a budget of Rs 30 crore.
South cinema has emerged as strong competition for Bollywood films over the past few years and this trend continued in the first half of 2024. ‘HanuMan’, which hit screens during Sankranti, clicked with the Hindi audience despite its lack star power and collected Rs 57 crore (nett) to emerge as a clean hit. Telugu cinema showed its dominance once again a few months later when the Prabhas-led ‘Kalki 2898 AD’ got off to a flying start in Hindi on June 27. It has netted Rs 72 crore in Hindi alone while receiving rave reviews. Darling’s stardom and the mythology-influenced storyline are responsible for the strong opening.
The past few months also saw several direct-to-OTT releases impress fans. ‘Bhakshak’ became the talk of the town with its hard-hitting narrative, which centred on the Muzaffarpur shelter case. ‘Amar Singh Chamkila’ emerged as as a digital success because of its intense performances and biting presentation. Other notable direct-to-OTT releases include ‘Maharaj’, ‘Ae Watan Mere Watan’ and ‘Murder Mubarak’. Additionally, the Kiran Rao-directed ‘Laapata Ladies’ received wide patronage on Netflix after a midding box office run.
So, which is your favourite movie from the first half of 2024?