Stree 2, Kalki 2898 AD, Pushpa 2: Bollywood’s 2024 box office journey of hits, flops, and a push for a strong finish |

Bollywood’s 2024 box office journey has been an intriguing mix of high-octane hits and underwhelming performances. Films like Stree 2, Bhool Bhulaiyaa 3 and Singham Again soared with record-breaking openings, while ambitious projects such as Kalki 2898 AD and Devara reflected the continued cross-regional appeal of Indian cinema. However, the year’s overall performance has been uneven, with only a few films truly striking a chord with audiences. The industry remains focused on closing the year on a high, with anticipation building around upcoming releases like Pushpa 2: The Rule, Mufasa and Baby John.
Bollywood’s box office performance in 2024 has been somewhat mixed when compared to the booming year of 2023. In the first half of 2024, the industry garnered Rs 1,081 crore, a 20-25 percent decline from Rs 1,450 crore during the same period in 2023. This dip highlights the absence of massive blockbusters like Shah Rukh Khan’s Pathaan or Jawan, which were pivotal to 2023’s success, collectively bringing in over Rs 1,600 crore

In contrast, 2024 has faced challenges with several big-ticket releases under-performing, such as the Eid releases Bade Miyan Chote Miyan and Maidaan, which were considered disappointments, earning only Rs 59 crore and Rs 51 crore, respectively. However, films like Fighter starring Hrithik Roshan and Deepika Padukone have performed better, grossing Rs 201 crore.
“In 2024, no single genre has dominated the Bollywood box office. While horror-comedy films like Munjya and Stree 2 performed exceptionally well, big-budget sci-fi projects like Kalki 2898 AD also found success. The trend suggests that it’s not about the genre but about offering entertaining and engaging content that respects the audience’s investment of time and money,” Film exhibitor Akshaye Rathi stated.
He further added, “Upcoming films like Pushpa 2 (action drama), Baby John (action thriller), and Mufasa (family drama) highlight the diversity in Bollywood’s cinematic offerings. Ultimately, films that resonate with audiences, regardless of their genre, have achieved the most success.”
Highest grossing movies of 2024:
Kalki 2898 AD
Nag Ashwin’s directorial starred Prabhas, Deepika Padukone, Amitabh Bachchan and Kamal Haasan in lead roles. Set in a post-apocalyptic world in the year 2898 AD, the film follows a select group who are on a mission to save lab subject SUM-80’s unborn child, Kalki.

According to IMDb, the film was made on a budget of Rs 550 crore and earned a worldwide gross of Rs 1,052.5 crore. It collected a worldwide share of Rs 532.4 crore, with a pre-release business valuation of Rs 380 crore. The film was declared a blockbuster.
Stree 2: Sarkate Ka Aatank
‘Stree 2’ starred the original starcast of Shraddha Kapoor, Rajkummar Rao, Abhishek Bannerjee, Pankaj Tripathi, and Aparshakti Khurrana. After Stree, a new supernatural entity, Sarkata, a headless ghost, begins abducting women from Chanderi at night, pulling them into an alternate dimension.

According to IMDb, Stree 2 was made on a budget of Rs 100 crore and achieved a worldwide gross of Rs 858.4 crore. Its domestic net collection stood at Rs 605.8 crore. The film was declared an all-time blockbuster and an industry hit in the Hindi film industry.
Bhool Bhulaiyaa 3
Bhool Bhulaiyaa 3 starred Kartik Aaryan, Triptii Dimri, Vidya Balan and Madhuri Dixit in lead roles. The Plot of the film revolves around conman Ruhaan parading as a ghostbuster Rooh baba (Kartik Aaryan), is confronted by not one but two evil forces in a haunted mansion.

According to IMDB, the film, made on a budget of Rs 150 crore, has so far achieved a worldwide gross of Rs 385.4 crore, with a domestic net collection of Rs 252.9 crore. The verdict is still pending as the movie continues its run in theaters.
Singham Again
Singham Again featured an ensemble star cast including Ajay Devgn, Kareena Kapoor, Ranveer Singh, Akshay Kumar, Deepika Padukone, Tiger Shroff, Arjun Kapoor, Jackie Shroff and others. Drawing parallels to the Ramayana, Singham and his allies confront a mysterious antagonist in their quest to rescue his spouse.

According to IMDB, the film, produced on a budget of Rs 300 crore, has so far earned Rs 372.2 crore globally, including a domestic net collection of Rs 245.7 crore. The verdict remains pending as the movie is still running in theaters.
Fighter
The movie, starring Hrithik Roshan and Deepika Padukone, is about a reckless yet brilliant squadron leader and his team of elite fighter pilots face mortal dangers and inner demons as they unite for a deadly mission.

The film, made on a budget of Rs 225 crore, has earned a worldwide gross of Rs 355.4 crore, with a domestic net collection of Rs 212.5 crore. The verdict for the movie is classified as Above Average, reflecting a solid performance at the box office.
Shaitaan
Shaitaan is a remake of a Gujarati movie, ‘Vash’. It starred R Madhavan, Jyothika, Janki Bodiwala and Ajay Devgn in lead roles. In the movie, a family outing takes a terrifying turn when an intruder takes over the body of the teenage daughter, putting her at the mercy of increasingly sinister orders.

The film, produced on a budget of Rs 80 crore, earned a worldwide gross of Rs 212.2 crore, with a domestic net collection of Rs 150.1 crore. It has been declared a Super Hit, indicating a strong and profitable performance at the box office.
Crew
The movie starred Kareena Kapoor Khan, Kriti Sanon and Tabu in lead roles. The film follows three hard-working women as their destinies lead to some unwarranted situations and they end up caught in a web of lies.

The film, made on a budget of Rs 60 crore, grossed Rs 156.8 crore worldwide, with a domestic net collection of Rs 88.5 crore. It has been labeled a Hit, indicating a positive box office performance.
Teri Baaton mein Aisa Uljha Jiya
The film, which starred Shahid Kapoor, Kriti Sanon and Dimple Kapadia in lead roles, is about a robotics engineer falls in love with an intelligent female robot mistaking her for a real woman in Los Angeles. Though he gets heartbroken and returns to India, he later decides to marry her.

The film, with a production budget of Rs 65 crore, grossed Rs 142.5 crore worldwide, and its domestic net collection stood at Rs 87 crore. With these strong numbers, the film is classified as a Hit, showcasing a successful box office performance.
Munjya
Munjya starred Abhay Verma and Sharvari Wagh in lead roles. The movie revolved around a young man’s visit to his native village unveils a family secret and a vengeful spirit, the Munjya, who wants to get married. Now the young man must fight to protect himself and his love from Munjya’s clutches.

As per IMDB, the film, made on a budget of Rs 30 crore, achieved a worldwide gross of Rs128.2 crore, with a domestic net collection of Rs 105.3 crore. With such impressive earnings, it has been declared a Super Hit, showcasing a highly successful box office performance.
While other films like Devara Part 1, Article 370, The Goat Life, Srikanth were a hit at the box office, Bad Newz, Vicky Vidya Ka Woh Wala Video, Madgaon Express, Kill, Swatantra Veer Savarkar were marked gave average performance at the box office.
Despite big budgets and star power, several films under-performed at the box office in 2024. Ramesh Bala analysed the reasons behind their failure, stating, “Post-Covid, no film is guaranteed box office success if it’s just average or mediocre. Movies need to offer something extraordinary. For example, Bade Miyan Chote Miyan struggled because its screenplay wasn’t strong enough, leading to its faltering performance. Similarly, Maidan, with its underdog theme of coaching the Indian team, didn’t stand out, as many similar films have already been made. In today’s post-Covid world, every genre must feature the best; being merely ‘good’ isn’t enough. That’s why these films failed, despite their big budgets and star casts.”
Sharing his opinion on the same, Akshaye Rathee added, “I think any film that underperforms or doesn’t do well is purely because of one reason: the lack of engagement with the audience. And I believe that for any of the films that didn’t perform well, it’s purely that reason—we can’t attribute it to anything else. Another factor, I think, where we often go wrong in Hindi cinema is with bad marketing, which doesn’t land well. We do things to create awareness and fuel the vanity of some actors and filmmakers, but we really don’t do enough to create FOMO among moviegoers to get them to turn up at the cinema hall on the first day, first show.”
Movies that missed the mark at the box office in 2024:
Indian 2
S Shankar’s mucn-anticipated movie Indian 2, starring Kamal Haasan, Siddharth and Rakul Preet Singh in the lead roles failed to impress the audience at the box office.

According to IMDB, the film grossed Rs 150.9 crore worldwide, with a worldwide share of Rs 72.6 crore, against a pre-release business of Rs 170 crore, ultimately being declared a disaster.
Bade Miyan Chote Miyan
Bade Miyan CHote Miyan brought together the Khiladi star Akshay Kumar and Tiger Shroff for the first time. Though it was released with high hopes, it failed to deliver at the box office.

Made on a budget of Rs 300 crore, the film earned a worldwide gross of Rs 108.2 crore, with a domestic net collection of Rs 63.4 crore, and was declared a disaster.
Chandu Champion
The Chandu Champion real story depicts the life of the Indian Paralympian, Murlikant Petkar, in the 2024 sports drama from Kabir Khan. The film starred Kartik Aaryan in the lead role.

With a budget of Rs 100 crore, the film achieved a worldwide gross of Rs 92.5 crore and a domestic net collection of Rs 67.3 crore, resulting in a flop verdict.
Maidaan
The film is inspired by the Indian national football team coach and manager Syed Abdul Rahim, who is regarded as the architect of Indian football. It starred Ajay Devgn in the lead role.

A report on IMDB suggested that the film, made on a budget of Rs 150 crore, earned a worldwide gross of Rs 70.1 crore and a domestic net collection of Rs 51.6 crore, leading to a disaster verdict.
Jigra
Vasan Bala’s Jigra starrer Alia Bhatt in the lead role. The film is a heart wrenching tale of a sister taking on the world to avenge her brother.

According to IMDB, with a budget of Rs 60 crore, the film earned a worldwide gross of Rs 57.2 crore and a domestic net collection of Rs 32.1 crore, resulting in a flop verdict.
Other films like Sidharth Malhotra starrer Yodha, Akshay Kumar starrer Sarfira, John Abraham starrer Vedaa and Katrina Kaif and Vijay Sethupathi starrer Merry Christmas also failed to create a desired effect at the box office.
Bollywood vs. Regional Cinema
There is a growing belief that regional cinema is outpacing Bollywood in terms of box office success, with films from industries like Telugu, Tamil, and Malayalam making significant strides. This shift can be seen in the box office performances of films like KGF Chapter 2, RRR, and Jawan, which have performed exceptionally well both domestically and internationally. Bollywood, on the other hand, has faced challenges in maintaining consistency with its box office hits.
Sharing his take on the same, Akshaye Rathee stated, “Regional cinema has always had its space and impact. If you look at it, Kalki 2898 AD is one of the biggest earners for Hindi cinema halls this year, alongside films like Stree 2 and Munjya. Pushpa 2, originally a Telugu film, is also set to have a major impact. I truly believe that the boundaries between Tamil, Telugu, Malayalam, Kannada, Hindi, Punjabi, Bhojpuri, and Gujarati films are quickly diminishing. We are functioning as the Indian film fraternity, and that’s really the way forward.”
Ramesh Bala further added, “Bollywood films continue to do well. Stree 2, Bhool Bhulaiyaa 2, and Singham Again have performed well. However, with regional films, the movie-going culture in the South is much stronger compared to the North. This has allowed South regional cinema to flourish. But when they make Pan-India movies like Kalki 2898 AD and Pushpa, they find success both in the North and South, giving them an edge over Bollywood. The key advantage of Pan-India regional films is their ability to succeed in both regions. On the other hand, most Bollywood successes remain primarily in North India. It’s rare to see Hindi films achieve significant success across both North and South on the same scale.”
With films like Pushpa 2 set to release later this year, many are speculating how its box office performance will contribute to the overall recovery of the film industry. The success of Pushpa 2, especially given the growing popularity of Pan-India regional films, could play a pivotal role in boosting confidence within the industry.
According to Ramesh Bala, “Pushpa 2 is expected to perform very well at the box office, potentially reaching 1,000 crores. If it achieves this, it will be a significant step towards recovering the industry. Not only is it expected to do well in the South, but also in the North, East, and West. The success of Pushpa 2 will likely provide the much-needed boost for the Indian film industry.”
Akshaye Rathee further pointed out, “Given the unpredictability of the box office this year and the inconsistency with which movies have performed, we really need not just Pushpa 2, but all of the major December releases—like Baby John, Mufasa, and others—to be successful. I genuinely hope these films can achieve massive hits, similar to how we saw Pathaan, Jawan, Animal, and Gadar last year. Ideally, Pushpa 2 should be able to surpass regular benchmarks and reach a net box office collection of at least 500 crores in the Hindi market alone.”
Upcoming December releases:
Pushpa 2: The Rule
Pushpa 2: The Rule picks up where the first movie ended. SP Bhanwar Singh Shekhawat chases Pushpa, leading to the loss of Pushpa’s mother and brother. With help from his wife Srivalli and friend Kesava, Pushpa escapes. The sequel focuses on Pushpa’s revenge against Shekhawat, packed with drama, action, twists, and suspense.

Directed by Sukumar, the movie features Allu Arjun in the lead role, supported by Fahadh Faasil, Rashmika Mandanna, Dhananjay, Rao Ramesh, Sunil, and Anasuya Bharadwaj, all reprising their roles from the previous installment.
Mufasa: The Lion King
The explores the early life of the legendary lion, Mufasa, and his relationship with his brother, Scar, who eventually becomes his enemy. Aaron Pierre voices young Mufasa, while Kelvin Harrison Jr. lends his voice to the young Scar.

In Hindi dubbed version, Shah Rukh Khan teams up with his sons—Aryan Khan and AbRam—to lend their voices to Mufasa, Simba, and young Mufasa.
Baby John
The film Baby John, starring Varun Dhawan and marking Keerthy Suresh’s Bollywood debut, follows an ex-police officer who fakes his death to safeguard his daughter. Directed by Kalees, this Theri remake is set to release on Christmas 2024.

As 2024 progresses, Bollywood is navigating a challenging landscape at the box office, with films fluctuating between successes and under-performances. While the industry has witnessed some significant hits like Stree 2, Bhool Bhulaiyaa 3, SIngham Again there have also been several disappointments, despite big budgets and star power. Experts believe that post-COVID, the key to success lies not just in delivering good content but in creating a strong connection with the audience, supported by effective marketing strategies.
The rise of regional cinema, particularly from the South, has posed new challenges for Bollywood, with films like Kalki 2898 AD and Devara Part 1 finding success across both North and South India. The success of Pan-India films is reshaping the industry’s landscape, creating a bridge between regional and Hindi cinema.
In his concluding note, Akshaye Rathee shared, “Overall, 2024 has been a mixed year. While we’ve seen a few big successes like Stree 2, Kalki, and Munjai, we’ve needed more films to deliver at a larger scale, and unfortunately, that hasn’t happened yet. However, there’s still hope that films like Pushpa 2, Baby John, and Mufasa will make a significant impact and bring much-needed excitement in December. Fingers crossed for a strong finish to the year, as all’s well that ends well.”
Looking ahead, there is hope that upcoming releases like Pushpa 2, Mufasa, Baby John and other major December films can provide the much-needed boost for the industry, helping it recover from the unpredictability of 2024.
With expectations high for these films, the industry’s performance in the coming months will be crucial in determining whether Bollywood can regain its footing and continue to thrive amid evolving market dynamics.