Bollywood Box office report: Hits and misses of 2023 so far
The first half of 2023 is gone, and in the past six months, we've had a bunch of new releases and most-anticipated films like Shah Rukh Khan's Pathaan, the comeback movie of Bollywood's King Khan after a gap of four long years. The movie starring Deepika Padukone and John Abraham in the lead did wonders at the box office and became one of the highest-grossing movies in the Hindi film industry. Apart from Pathaan, the other film that made news in the past few months was the controversial The Kerala Story. Sudipto Sen's film might be bashed by the critics, but the film got a thunderous response from the audience.
Before we begin the next half of 2023, let's review the Bollywood box office report for the first six months.
The Kerala Story - Hit
Adah Sharma-starrer The Kerala Story may have created massive controversy across the country, but the film has become a massive hit in the first half of this year. Sudipto Sen's directorial, which claims to be based on a true incident, is set in Kerala and revolves around a group of college-going girls who are converted to Islam and sent to Iraq and Syria to join the extremist organisation Islamic State. Despite the huge criticism, the movie got an overwhelming response from the audience at the theatres. The film earned ₹303.97 crore ($38 million) at the worldwide box office, becoming the third-highest-grossing Hindi film of 2023.
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Zara Hatke Zara Bachke - Hit
Zara Hatke Zara Bachke is the surprise hit of this year. The film starring the fresh pair of Vicky Kaushal and Sara Ali Khan got a surprising response from the audience, who loved the complicated marriage of the middle-class couple. With ₹115.24 crore ( $13.9 million) in earnings, Laxman Utekar's film did mediocre business at the box office, but the film's songs and Vicky and Sara's laughable chemistry won the hearts of the audience.
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Kisi Ka Bhai Kisi Ki Jaan - Miss
Salman Khan's Kisi Ka Bhai Kisi Ki Jaan is one of the few disappointments we got in the first half. Khan's movie tanked at the box office, with critics and audiences bashing the movie for being cringe-worthy, childish, and cold. Talking about the box office, the movie did a decent job, and all thanks go to the big festival date of Eid.
Made with a budget of ₹132.5 crore (US$17 million), the film grossed over ₹182.44 crore (US$23 million) globally.
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Adipurush
Om Rout disappointed the audience with his Adipurush, a jaded and mixed version of HBO's globally loved show Game Of Thrones. The director, along with his entire team, went on to face major backlash from the audience as he tried to present the modernised version of the mythological drama with CGI playing the lead. Despite being made on a hefty budget of Rs 500 crore (Rs 5 billion), the movie failed miserably at the box office.
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Ponniyin Selvan 2 - Hit
Following the path of Part 1, Ponniyin Selvan 2 was a major hit. Mani Ratnam delivered one of the biggest hits last year, and this year, the second part of Ponniyin Selvan took the box office by storm. The film is an adaptation of author Kalki Krishnamurthy`s Tamil novel of the same name.
The film, which boasts an ensemble cast, has earned moolah at the worldwide box office, earning over Rs 345 crore.
(Photograph:X)