Box office: Bollywood movies mint over Rs 1,500 crore in first half of 2023

Pathaan alone accounted for a third of these collections, with Rs 543.05 crore in ticket sales across India. (Screen grab)

Rs 1,550 crore - That's how much Bollywood movies have scored at the box office so far this year. This is a good number, considering how bad things looked post-pandemic. However, in a more worrying sign, just two films have accounted for over 50 percent of these collections. These are Pathaan, a blockbuster that crossed the Rs 500 crore mark across India, and The Kerala Story, which was a surprise hit.

While Pathaan brought in Rs 543.05 crore (collections in India alone), The Kerala Story raked in Rs 242.20 crore. Between the two films, Rs 785.25 crore came in, and that's 50.4 percent of the total, a whopping share indeed.

Of course, everyone expected Pathaan - Shah Rukh Khan's first film in four years after the box office disaster Zero - to perform well in theatres. However, the kind of collections that it generated were simply outstanding, and soon enough the film turned out to be bigger than the Hindi version of Baahubali: The Conclusion, which had collected Rs 511 crore.

The real saviour for the theatrical business, though, was The Kerala Story. It was the first release of May, and at that point, it had seemed that theatre owners would have to wait for Jawaan, slated for release on June 2, for business to pick up again (the Shah Rukh Khan starrer got postponed). The Adah Sharma-starrer stunned one and all. It opened well and then gained momentum which took it into the 200 Crore Club. Producer Vipul Shah and director Sudipto Sen struck huge, and how.

The other films that did big business were Tu Jhoothi Main Makkaar and Zara Hatke Zara Bachke. Ranbir Kapoor and Shraddha Kapoor starrer Tu Jhoothi Main Makkaar missed the 200 Crore Club by a fair margin to exit at Rs 149.05 crore. But it gave the theatrical business much needed reprieve. Next came the Vicky Kaushal and Sara Ali Khan starrer Zara Hatke Zara Bachke - it was being pegged as a Rs 20-25 crore earners at best, but it went on to do four times the business. Currently standing at Rs 86 crore, it should go on to eventually touch Rs 90 crore.

Another film that is still in theatres and still going strong is SatyaPrem Ki Katha, which is on its way to score a lifetime of Rs 75-80 crore. The film stars Kartik Aaryan and Kiara Advani.

Meanwhile, a couple of other small films scored decently too to have a respectable lifetime collection. Mrs Chatterjee vs Norway and 1920: Horrors of the Heart were both made at a modest budget, and they both had a smooth sailing from the theatrical business perspective as well the sale of satellite and digital rights. While the Rani Mukerji starrer amassed Rs 21.67 crore in theatres, Avika Gor's debut horror film has netted over Rs 16 crore so far.

A couple of other films did manage to cover some distance, though they were expected to be much bigger. Kisi Ka Bhai Kisi Ki Jaan, a home production of Salman Khan, did limited business of Rs 110 crore. And Bholaa, by Ajay Devgn's production house, made Rs 90 crore. Since both the superstars could afford to let go of their remuneration for these big-budget films, commercially they managed to curtail losses. However, the trade and the industry definitely expected a lot more from these films.

Ditto from Selfiee and Shezada which featured popular stars Akshay Kumar and Kartik Aaryan, respectively, but they couldn't really get the audiences in the cinema halls. Selfie turned out to be a non-starter and folded up at Rs 16.85 crore. Shehzada started moderately well but then fizzled out, closing at Rs 33 crore. The common factor between the two films was that they were remakes of popular south films which were already seen by a large number of audiences. As a result, they presumably stayed away.

The biggest disappointment, though, was Adipurush which was expected to be a huge grosser but then was simply killed by all the negativity surrounding it. The Prabhas starrer had genuine hype amongst the audience and that resulted in a blockbuster start that resulted in just the Hindi version entering the 100 Crore Club in the opening weekend itself. However, the footfalls receded immediately after and as a result the film has folded up at Rs 136 crore in the Hindi version. Since the film has made some money in the Telugu version as well, the losses are controlled.

There were some other films that arrived but could hardly find any notable collections. These are Gumraah, Kuttey, Bheed, Gandhi Godse Ek Yudh, Jogira Sara Ra Ra, Zwigato, Almost Pyaar with DJ Mohabbat, Chatrapathi, Bad Boy, Faraaz and Afwaah to name a few.

Still, at least a start has been made and with several big-ticket films ready for release in the second half of the year, starting with Rocky Aur Rani Kii Prem Kahaani, it isn't outlandish to hope for over Rs 2,000 crore more to come in before New Year 2024 begins.

Movies that made the most at the box office in the first half of 2023

Pathaan - Rs 543.05 crore

The Kerala Story - Rs 242.20 crore

Tu Jhoothi Main Makkaar - Rs 149.05 crore

Adipurush (Hindi) - Rs 136 crore

Kisi Ka Bhai Kisi Ki Jaan - Rs 110 crore

Bholaa - Rs 90 crore

Zara Hatke Zara Bachke - Rs 86 crore (still playing)

SatyaPrem Ki Katha - Rs 56 crore (still playing)