Bollywood Half Yearly Report Card 2018: Box Office Hits

This year is turning out to be a rather eventful year for Bollywood. This year the audiences are looking for good content in movies. Times have changed and Bollywood is adapting to the change as well. Movies like Raazi and PadMan might not have performed at the box office the same way had they released a few years back.

So, with the first half of 2018 gone by, we list some of Bollywood’s best offerings so far. There are as many as four blockbusters in just six months!. And that's beside the other hits and superhits, which have contributed to Rs 1,500 crore in the first half of 2018. Seldom has one seen so many successes in such a short span. 

Here are the Top 10 highest grossing movies :

1. Padmaavat
Release Date: 25 January 2018
Box office collections: Rs 302 crore
Verdict: Blockbuster
Padmaavat was directed by Sanjay Leela Bhansali. The film is loosely based on the poem Padmaavat which was written by Malik Muhammad Jayasi. The movie stars Deepika Padukone, Ranveer Singh and Shahid Kapoor in leading roles. Padmaavat broke many box-office records and made it to the 300 crepe club too.

2. Sanju 
Release Date: 29 June 2018
Box office collections: Rs 200 crore+ (expected)
Verdict: Superhit
We have been watching him on the big screen for decades now, so watching Sanjay Dutt’s chequered story unfold on screen has naturally got all of us excited and how. Ranbir Kapoor has undergone an amazing body transformation which makes him look and feel like Sanjay Dutt. The collections of Sanju on 1st July 2018 were the highest for any Hindi film until now. Sanju (INR 46.71 crores) beat the record set by Baahubali 2 (Hindi) (INR 46.50 crores). It has not even been a week since the release of Sanju and the collections already are inching towards the INR 150 crore mark as on the fourth day they stand at INR 145.41 crores. It seems like director Rajkumar Hirani has cracked the formula of what works at the box office and his track record more than justifies that. Sanju has already broken several records in a very short time at the box office.

3. Race 3
Release Date: 15 June 2018
Box office collections: Rs 175 crore (expected)
Verdict: Above average
After the first three days allowed the film to enter the Rs 100 crore club, Race 3 has been on a rapid decline. If not for the Eid release, the action genre and, of course, Salman Khan, this film would have collected even lesser money.

4. Baaghi 2
Release Date: 30 Mar 2018
Box office collections: Rs 166 crore 
Verdict: Blockbuster
Tiger Shroff has emerged as a major star after Baaghi 2. The film appealed to the masses and classes. Baaghi 2 earned 25.1 crore net on its opening day, marking the biggest opening-day of 2018.

5. Raazi
Date: 11 May 2018
Box office collections: Rs 124 crore
Verdict: Blockbuster
Who would have expected a spy drama thriller with Alia Bhatt as the only notable face in it to have audiences rooting for it? Raazi as a film didn’t take any sides. It didn’t portray Pakistan in a bad light nor India in a good one. It showed that humanity and ruthlessness exist on both sides. This is a significant departure from the patriotic films of yesteryear - we are habituated to seeing a good vs evil theme, and having Pakistanis depicted as soulless warmongers. Director Meghna Gulzar delivered an entertainer that struck a chord with everyone who watched it.

6. Sonu Ke Titu Ki Sweety
Release Date: 23 February 2018 
Box office collections: Rs 109 crore
Verdict: Blockbuster
From the winning team of director Luv Ranjan and actor Kartik Aaryan, one expected a fun affair yet again with Sonu Ke Titu Ki Sweety. The team delivered something bigger and better. Sonu Ki Titu Ki Sweety became the sleeper hit of the year. The film carried a strong family appeal, and that allowed it to go beyond the expected target audience base of just the youth and found its way amongst children as well as the elderly.

7. Raid
Release Date: 16 March 2018
Box office collections: Rs 103.07 crore
Verdict: Hit
One expects a Rs 100 crore movie from Ajay Devgn every time. Raid was a serious subject and not as much in a commercial zone as his films usually are. Ajay Devgn’s performance in the film received a lot of praise from the critics and the audience. Ajay played his character as the IRS officer with a dedication which made it look very authentic. Saurabh Shukla’s performance as Rameshwar Singh too won hearts of many people. His quirky lines mad his character the most interesting part of the film. Rajkumar Gupta's film did better as audiences warmed up to it.

8. Veere Di Wedding
Release Date: 1 June 2018
Box office collections: Rs 83 crore
Verdict: Superhit
Veere Di Wedding almost doubled the business of what one would have expected from it. The movie is designed to push the idea that girls too have fun just like boys. And the performance by the four leads in the film sure does make you believe that. Director Shashanka Gosh ticks all the boxes and does a great job in developing great chemistry amongst the leading ladies which form the crux of the film. The film strongly gives out the message that each one of comes with their own set of flaws and that is okay to not be perfect. The film was more of a wake-up call for the society to come on term with today’s times. How many out there would have expected an all-women film with cuss words and an 'A' certificate to find an audience, not just on its opening day but also in the long run?

9. PadMan
Release Date: 9 February 2018
Box office collections: Rs 81.82 crore
Verdict: Above average
Akshay Kumar has been delivering back-to-back Rs 100 crore movies, so one expected PadMan to follow suit. Perhaps its taboo subject didn't bring in the audience -- especially in small towns. Still, it emerged a success. Also, on 19 January it was announced that Pad Man has postponed its release to 9 February 2018 to avoid a clash with Sanjay Leela Bhansali’s Padmaavat. The main reason for the delay in the release of Pad Man was known when Akshay Kumar revealed that Sanjay Leela Bhansali had requested him to postpone the release of his film in order to avoid a clash.

10 Parmanu: The Pokhran Story
Release Date: 25 May 2018
Box office collections: Rs 65 crore
Verdict: Semi-hit
A surprise success, Parmanu was 100 crore movie material if one goes by the content. But troubled with legal battles as well as an almost six-month delay, the John Abraham starrer only had about 10 days for its promotion and marketing. A special mention must go to John Abraham who risked producing a movie on a topic which many would consider tricky. Apart from being a courageous producer of this film, he carried it well on his shoulders as the main lead. He was ably supported by talented actors like Boman Irani, Vikas Kumar, and Yogendra Tiku. Diana Penty and Anuja Sathe did justice to their limited characters. Audiences saw a quality film and word of mouth ensured a victory lap for it.

Deepika Padukone, Ranveer Singh, Ranbir Kapoor, Salman Khan, Alia Bhatt, Kartik Aaryan, Akshay Kumar, Ajay Devgn