It was raining money in Bollywood in 2011 with the Khans virtually ruling the silver screen. The industry?s trusted veterans, Shah Rukh Khan and Salman Khan, spun R100-crore hits like Ra.One, Bodyguard and Ready. Another Shah Rukh starrer, Don 2: The King is Back, has already grossed R70 crore in just a week.

?The year was big for the Khans,? says Sanjeev Lamba, chief executive officer of Reliance Entertainment, which co-produced three of the year?s top grossers. ?For us, it has been a bumper year with Bodyguard and Singham breaking all records,? he says. ?Even Don 2 is set to reach the R100-crore mark.?

Ajay Devgan?s Singham, Excel Entertainment?s multi-starrer Zindagi Na Milegi Dobara, Vidya Balan-starrer The Dirty Picture, and Ranbir Kapoor?s musical enterprise Rockstar, were the other big hits of the year.

For the R8,500-crore Hindi film industry, the year presented a pretty picture. Despite the cricket extravaganza of the World Cup in the first half, the industry ended the year with more hits than misses, higher occupancy levels in theatres, blockbuster opening weekends and a handful of R100-crore hits.

?The current business model of film-making has almost eliminated the chances of a flop film,? says Jehil Thakkar, executive director, media & entertainment at audit and consulting firm KPMG India. ?This trend will grow and allow producers to put money behind more innovative scripts.?

According to film trade analysts and entertainment experts, the industry?s success ratio stood at a handsome 30-35% this year, much higher than the average of 8-10%. ?Bollywood had a fantastic 2011,? remarks trade analyst Taran Adarsh. ?The hit ratio was great; big stars delivered huge hits and most films made profits.?

During the year, the share of ancillary revenue streams such as satellite rights, overseas distribution, music, gaming and home video, increased to 30% of the overall revenue pie, thus bringing down a film?s dependence on domestic theatrical collections.

?Satellite and overseas rights emerged as crucial revenue streams for producers,? says Adarsh. ?Most of the films? rights were pre-sold, thus allowing them to recover much of their money even before the release.?

For instance, Ra.One , which had a production budget of R150 cr, recovered more than 50% prior to its release, through satellite rights, brand tie-ups, gaming and merchandising etc.

According to industry estimates, the share of alternative revenues in Bollywood is estimated to go up to 35% in the next two years.

The next tier of hits included films like Yamla Pagla Deewana, Mere Brother Ki Dulhan, Delhi Belly, Desi Boyz and Thank You, which grossed R50-60 crore. Other ?sleeper hits? or niche films were No One Killed Jessica, Shor in the City and Dhobi Ghat.

?The audience?s acceptance of small-budget films increased and more independent film-makers gained ground,? adds KPMG?s Thakkar.

With 2012 taking off with two huge releases in Players and Agneepath, the industry is poised to extend its purple patch. ?Entertainment will rule and good films will always find audiences,? adds Adarsh.