2018 was a year of surprises for Bollywood. Apart from being the year that saw a deluge of celebrity weddings, it also witnessed a slew of biopics.
It was the year of #MeToo and the year when smaller films worked their magic at the box office. While a big budget period film headlined by two of Hindi cinema’s biggest male stars failed to fare well at the box office, relatively low budget films hailing the everyman earned more love.
It was also the year where horror as a genre got a shot in the arm with producers backing films like Stree, Tumbbad and Pari. This was the year that B’wood flashed its woke card by delving into subjects like the sex lives of middle-aged couples (Badhaai Ho), portrayal of a scene depicting a woman pleasuring herself (Veere Di Wedding) and evocation of xenophobia (Mulk).
It’s time to take stock. Here’s a list of the biggest earners of 2018.
Sanju
Release Date: 29 June 2018
Nett Box Office: Over Rs 334 Cr (Rs 3,34,57,75,000)
Budget: Rs 96 Cr (Rs 96,00,00,000)
Some dissed it for bordering on hagiography, while others marvelled at Rajkumar Hirani’s ability to emotionally manipulate his viewers. They may be divided over how the film indulged in whitewashing of the controversial actor but viewers seemed to concur that Ranbir Kapoor was on point as he inhabited the skin of Sanjay Dutt. Sanju beat PK to reportedly become the third highest grosser of all time.
Padmaavat
Release Date: 25 Jan 2018
Nett Box Office: Over Rs 282 Cr (Rs 2,82,28,00,000)
Budget: Rs. 215 Cr ( Rs 2,15,00,00,000)
Sanjay Leela Bhansali’s period epic braved the titanic tide of controversies to see the light of day. His passion project starring Deepika Padukone, Shahid Kapoor and Ranveer Singh set the box office ablaze as it became the first blockbuster of the year.
2.0 (Still Running)
Release Date: 29 Nov 2018
Nett Box Office: Over Rs 184 Cr (Rs 1,84,10,00,000)
Budget: (Not disclosed)
The sequel to Enthiran or Robot, 2.0 was reportedly made on a whopping budget of Rs 400 cr. Touted as the most expensive film of all time, all eyes were on the Akshay Kumar - Rajinikanth face-off. The Hindi version of the film was distributed by Karan Johar's Dharma Productions. The film reportedly recovered Rs 370 crore through the sale of satellite and digital rights, ahead of the film's release.
Race 3
Release Date: 15 Jun 2018
Nett Box Office: Over Rs 166 Cr (Rs 1,66,15,25,000)
Budget: Rs 185 Cr (1,85,00,00,000)
This film was a meme maker’s delight. Think Daisy Shah’s business dialogue. One of the biggest openers of the year, Race 3 stars Salman Khan, Bobby Deol, Jacqueline Fernandez amongst others. Despite the formidable figure, with the investment and the ROI that it entailed, Race 3 failed to make the cut as a ‘hit’.
Baaghi 2
Release Date: 30 Mar 2018
Nett Box Office: Over Rs 160 Cr (Rs 1,60,74,50,000)
Budget: Rs 59 Cr (Rs 59,00,00,000)
This action film marked the biggest opening-day of 2018 (ahead of Padmaavat) and was also reportedly the claimant to the crown of the biggest Good Friday opening, cementing Tiger Shroff’s position as the bankable actor.
Thugs of Hindostan
Release Date: 8 Nov 2018
Nett Box Office: Over Rs 138 Cr (Rs 1,38,34,50,000)
Budget: Over Rs 310 Cr ( Rs 3,10,00,00,000)
The period film starring two of the biggest Bollywood bigwigs - Aamir Khan and Amitabh Bachchan opened to promising numbers but the collections took a hit after the first day, thanks to bad word of mouth. Despite the formidable figure, with the investment and the ROI that it entailed, Thugs... failed to make the cut as a ‘hit’.
Badhaai Ho
Release Date: 18 Oct 2018
Nett Box Office: Over Rs 134 Cr (Rs 1,34,27,00,000)
Budget: Rs 29 Cr ( Rs 29,00,00,000)
The Ayushmann Khurrana-Gajraj Rao-Neena Gupta film touched the Rs 50 crore mark within six days of its release. This was the year that good word of mouth and good content determined box office earnings. In its sixth week, the Prabhas starrer Baahubali 2: The Conclusion made Rs 5.35 crore while the Ayushmann Khurrana starrer collected Rs 5.95 crore in its week 6.
Stree
Release Date: 31 Aug 2018
Nett Box Office: Over Rs 124 Cr (Rs 1,24,56,50,000)
Budget: Rs 24 Cr ( Rs 24,00,00,000)
Helmed by debutant Amar Kaushik, Stree turns on its head a regressive urban legend. The Rajkummar Rao-Shraddha Kapoor-Pankaj Tripathi starrer beat the lifetime run of the massively successful Raazi at the box office.
Raazi
Release Date: 11 May 2018
Nett Box Office: Over Rs 122 Cr (Rs 1,22,39,00,000)
Budget: Rs 38 Cr (Rs 38,00,00,000)
2018 also saw some stellar women-led narratives. The Alia Bhatt-starrer spy thriller, Raazi, directed by Meghna Gulzar reportedly became the first female-led film in the last five years to earn more than Rs 100 crore.
Gold
Release Date: 15 Aug 2018
Nett Box Office: Over Rs 102 Cr (Rs 1,02,40,50,000)
Budget: Rs 107 Cr (Rs 1,07,00,00,000)
With its patriotic fervour, Gold enjoyed a glorious run at the ticket windows. The Reema Kagti directorial surpassed the lifetime collections of Singh Is Bliing in Akshay Kumar’s roster of highest grossing films of all time.
Sonu Ke Titu Ki Sweety
Release Date: 23 Feb 2018
Nett Box Office: Over Rs 100 Cr (1,00,80,50,000)
Budget: Rs 40,00,00,000 (Rs 40 Cr)
Sonu Ke Titu Ki Sweety, starring Kartik Aaryan, Nushrat Bharucha and Sunny Singh got one of the biggest weekend openings of the year despite being slammed by critics for its misogynistic themes. The film marks Luv Ranjan's fourth collaboration with Kartik Aaryan and Nushrat Bharucha.
(The box office figures are sourced from Box Office India.)
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