What a remarkable year 2023 has turned out to be!
It saw record-breaking openings, the biggest day wise collections and new benchmarks set for lifetime scores.
Here’s a look at the biggest hits of 2023.
Jawan
Box office collection: Rs 644 crore/Rs 6.44 billion
Jawan started the Rs 600 Crore Club (Rs 6 billion) for Bollywood.
The Shah Rukh Khan-starrer released on a non-holiday and not just got a record-breaking opening but also ended up scoring the biggest weekend and then the biggest first week ever.
Director Atlee made a smash entry into Bollywood with this masala movie, which set new benchmarks for this genre in Bollywood.
Pathaan
Box office collection: Rs 543.05 crore/Rs 5.43 billion
But it was Shah Rukh Khan’s Pathaan that started it all.
The star returned to the big screen after more than four years and all eyes were on how well he would deliver.
Producer Aditya Chopra and Director Siddharth Anand made sure they came up with a classy, commercial entertainer.
With bravura acts from John Abraham and Deepika Padukone enhancing the film, Pathaan became Bollywood’s first 500 Crore Club (Rs 5 billion) and set the tone for the year.
Animal
Box office collection: Rs 530 crore/Rs 5.3 billion after 3 weeks (still playing)
Ranbir Kapoor’s Animal seemed to come out of syllabus and ended up finding a place in the Top 3.
Originally slated for an August release, it moved out of the race when Gadar 2 and OMG 2 were clashing on the Independence Day weekend.
This also gave the team good time to come up with an excellent marketing and promotional campaign.
The film, co-starring Bobby Deol, Rashmika Mandanna and Anil Kapoor, surprised everyone with its blockbuster collections and Director Sandeep Reddy Vanga announced his arrival as a director who could not be taken lightly anymore.
Gadar 2
Box office collection: Rs 525.45 crore/Rs 5.25 billion
No one would have put their money on Gadar 2 ending up not just notching up blockbuster numbers but entering the Rs 500 Crore Club.
But Director Anil Sharma’s conviction in the film much sure that this Sunny Deol, Ameesha Patel and Utkarsh Sharma starrer would be an ideal sequel to Gadar, a blockbuster in its own time.
The sequel emerged as one of those rare films to secure an excellent business in small as well big centres.
Tiger 3
Box office collection: Rs 285 crore/Rs 2.85 billion
Even when a Salman Khan film under-performs, it does massive business.
The expectations from Tiger 3 were huge and even at the bare minimum, it was expected to do a business of over Rs 350 crore.
Despite its release on an odd day (Sunday), on the day of Diwali, Tiger 3 ended up having a decent run.
The Kerala Story
Box office collection: Rs 242.20 crore/Rs 2.42 billion
The Kerala Story is the biggest success story of 2023.
Made at a budget of under Rs 50 crore (Rs 500 million), it ended up doing almost five times its business, just from the Indian theatrical run.
Starring Adah Sharma, the film surprised everyone with its excellent opening and then went on to collect more with every passing day, just like The Kashmir Files had done last year.
Rocky Aur Rani Kii Prem Kahaani
Box office collection: Rs 153.60 crore/Rs 1.536 billion
Director Karan Johar maintained his cent percent track record with Rocky Aur Rani Kii Prem Kahaani.
All of his directorials have been a commercial success, and this Ranveer Singh-Alia Bhatt-starrer followed that box office path.
Yes, given the scale and merits, it should have done better. Still, the opening was decent and it grew bigger due to word-of-mouth.
OMG 2
Box office collection: Rs 150.17 crore/Rs 1.5 billion
Despite the clash with Gadar 2, OMG 2 not only stood tall at the box office but also had a rather long run.
As a result, the Akshay Kumar, Pankaj Tripathi and Yami Gautam scored a century.
The film’s success has ensured that OMG 3 will be made as well.
Tu Jhoothi Main Makkaar
Box office collection: Rs 149.05 crore/Rs 1.49 billion
Apart from Shah Rukh Khan, Ranbir Kapoor is the only actor to have enjoyed two hits in 2023.
He started the year with Tu Jhoothi Main Makkaar, a rom-com from the house of Luv Ranjan and narrated in the director’s quintessential style.
Shraddha Kapoor was adorable in this film that brought youth and family audiences together.
