The year 2022 was the year of acclimatization for cine-goers and the movie industry. Restrictions were taken back, but the fear of catching an infection was still lurking behind. Yet then movies returned to the theatres and so did the audience. The filmmakers learnt about changing tastes of the audience as many big banners got busted while movies from the south made a pan-Indian impact.
Business-wise only five Hindi films made it to the Rs.100 crore club. These include Brahmastra: Part 1, The Kashmir Files, Gangubai Kathiawari, and Bhool Bhulaiya 2. While other films with higher expectations and budgets like Ram Setu, Prithviraj, Shamsera, and Laal Singh Chadda had to bite the dust.
Here are are a list of top Bollywood releases and how they fared at the Box Office
The Kashmir Files
The film did not make much hullabaloo before its release and hence opened to a modest Rs.3 Crore. However, strong word-of-mouth recommendations and critic reviews made the movie fetch a double-digit collection on daily basis within a week of its release. Without any superstars to front the project, it became one of the most profitable movies of director Vivek Agnihotri. It ended up making the business Rs 247 crore in India.
Gangubai Kathiawadi
The first collaboration between Alia Bhatt and filmmaker Sanjay Bhansali was a resounding success. Alia Bhatt’s acting skills were well appreciated and Bhansali was able to fit a regular story on a larger-than-life canvas. Not just did it do well theatrically, but it also became the biggest digital success for a Bollywood film. According to Box Office India, the movie made a business of Rs 126.50 crore
Brahmastra: Part One-Shiva
The movie which was released more than five years post its announcement lived up to its expectation at the Box Office. The movie was packed with VFX, and even when faltering with the storyline succeeded in retaining the audience’s attention and brought make the crowd to 3D theatres.
Bhool Bhulaiyaa 2
It was widely believed that this comedy would do well at the box office and Bhool Bhulaiyaa 2 proved it again. Kartik Aryan had to step into big shoes but he did it with precision. Moreover, Tabu became the actual talking point of the movie. With its mass and pan-India appeal with a high dose of entertainment, it bought BO back on the track. The movie did a business of Rs 181.75 crore.
JugJugg Jeeyo
The movie, which was directed by David Sajid and stars Kiara Advani and Varun Dhawan, was regarded as a rare success in Indian cinema. The movie did not make a double-digit earning but with its ensemble cast, gorgeous location and clothes, and multiple songs and dance sequences, it succeeded in doing modest business. The movie earned 78.50 crore
Laal Singh Chaddha
Aamir Khan’s return to theatres bearing much hope tanked, Blame it on the controversy before its release or scene-by-scene imitation of Tom Hanks’s original ‘Forrest Grump’, the movie failed to live up to expectations. Nevertheless, its BO performance acted as an eye-opener for the film fraternity. The movie managed a business of Rs 59.75 crore.
Samrat Prithviraj
The movie had it all, a big banner, a superstar face, a popular debutante figure, a period setting and larger-than-life sets, yet the movie had to bite the dust like other releases of Akshay Kumar. The movie’s tryst to glorify a historical figure earned it a bad screenplay. Moreover, the absence of memorable songs or dialogues made it a forgetful watch. The Yashraj film made only Rs 68.25 crores at BO.
Vikram Vedha
The movie had the best of two worlds, Hrithik Roshan and Saif Ali Khan, a power-packed action sequence and a nail-biting plot. However, with OTT coming to our living rooms, remakes no longer make as much appeal as they had earlier like with Gajni, Tere Naam or Kabir Singh. The movie even with a Dussehra release made Rs 79.75 crores.
Jersey
Shahid Kapoor returned to the silver screen with “Jersey’ after three years. His last release Kabir Singh was a roaring success. The sports drama received positive reviews but failed to do well at the BO, as it collected only Rs 15.25 crores in its first four days.
Ram Setu
Despite being led by a popular actor, the movie did not do well at the box office. It was released during the holiday season and banked on an important subject. The movie earned Rs 73 crore. The Abhishek Kumar-directed film did offer some striking underwater scenes and a rousing background score, but they barely managed to keep Ram Setu afloat.
Meanwhile, other movies of Akshay Kumar namely Raksha Bandhan and Bachchan Pandey too tanked at the box office.
Drishyam 2
At a time when other original films were not doing well, Drishyam 2 did exceptionally well even being a remake. It managed to become the third highest-grossing film of the year. Its success also ended the dry spell in the career of actor Ajay Devgn, who had gone without any significant performance since Tanhaji: The Forgotten Hero. The movie has crossed Rs 220 crore and is still holding the fort strong
Cirkus
The expectations of movie lovers were high as Ranveer Singh-starrer Cirkus was supposed to reinvigorate the magic of cinema. However, the film failed to create magic. As of today the movie barely crossed the Rs 30 crore mark.