Though 2024 was an underwhelming year for the industry, several films managed to do better than expected and also amass a large moolah, through theatrical and non-theatrical sources. In this special report, we’ll focus on the 11 films that managed to make a neat profit and emerge victorious. From the list, it’s clear that Maddock Films, headed by Dinesh Vijan, is a clear winner as his three releases dominate the list and were highly profitable ventures. Also, the top 3 films belong to horror comedy, the blockbuster genre of 2024.
1. Stree 2
Budget: Rs. 105 crores
Box Office: Rs. 874.58 crores
This was a film whose box office share in India alone was more than triple its budget. It was exceptional even Overseas, considering its cast and all the money that came from digital, TV and music rights added to the film’s profit. According to trade sources, the movie made more than Rs. 350 crores in profit for the makers. It is the biggest grosser in the history of Bollywood and its Return on Investment (ROI) is more than 300%. This makes Stree 2 a historic and one of its kind blockbuster.
2024’s Most Profitable Films: Stree 2 leads with 300% ROI as Maddock Films dominates; Bhool Bhulaiyaa 3 joins the profit party
2. Munjya
Budget: Rs. 30 crores
Box Office: Rs. 132.13 crores
Munjya was released with minimal expectations but attracted the audience in hordes with each passing day. Its overseas box office performance was dismal but it didn’t matter at all as in India, it crossed the Rs. 100 crore mark. For a film made at a very limited cost and with a relatively unknown star cast, it was a feat. The revenue from the non-theatrical sources added to the delight of the producers, as they laughed all the way to the bank with approximate profit of around Rs. 68 cr.
The other most profitable films of the year are as follows (arranged in terms of their box office figures)
3. Bhool Bhulaiyaa 3
Budget: Rs. 150 crores
Box Office: Rs. 417.51 crores
The horror comedy was made on a lavish scale and the makers went all out to promote the film, considering the clash with the mighty Singham Again. It added to the costs but ultimately, it all paid off. The film opened with a bang and was the second-biggest Hindi grosser of the year. The makers landed a good deal for the sale of non-theatrical avenues and they ended up making considerable profit of around Rs. 125 cr.
4. Shaitaan
Budget: Rs. 90 crores
Box Office: Rs. 211.06 crores
The film was aided by several factors – the trailer did the trick resulting in huge business at the ticket window, very good sales of its OTT rights and to add to it, the makers got a substantial amount back from the UK government as rebate. As a result, it ended up making a huge profit of around Rs. 90 cr. for the makers.
5. Crew
Budget: Rs. 70 crores
Box Office: Rs. 157.08 crores
Crew’s budget was quite high but the producers had nothing to worry about the film was a success at the box office. It sprang a surprise Overseas. And then there was music, TV and OTT rights to further add to the smiles of its producers who laughed all the way to the bank with approx. Rs. 25 cr.
6. Teri Baaton Mein Aisa Uljha Jiya
Budget: Rs. 75 crores
Box Office: Rs. 133.64 crores
Its box office performance was a bit underwhelming, considering its cost. But it was a decent success and also got a huge moolah from the sale of its TV, digital and music rights due to the audience-friendly romcom genre, music and casting of popular actors like Shahid Kapoor and Kriti Sanon. The final tally of profit would be around Rs. 20 cr.
7. Article 370
Budget: Rs. 35 crores
Box Office: Rs. 110.57 crores
Due to the terrific reports and the nationalist theme, it did quite well despite the absence of a popular male face and soundtrack. The controlled costs further added to its value. The movie made a profit of around Rs. 25 cr.
8. Srikanth
Budget: Rs. 40 crores
Box Office: Rs. 62.92 crores
Made at controlled costs, the Rajkummar Rao-starrer was a sleeper hit at the box office. Coupled with the non-theatrical revenue, the film emerged as a profitable venture with around Rs. 20 cr. in profit for the makers.
9. Madgaon Express
Budget: Rs. 30 crores
Box Office: Rs. 48.98 crores
Not many expected anything from this film and also its collections were majorly from Maharashtra. But it managed to surprise and took advantage of the dry period at the box office. It had managed to recover its entire investment from non-theatrical sources and the sales from the box office added to its profit of around Rs. 15 cr.
10. Kill
Budget: Rs. 25 crores
Box Office: Rs. 47.12 crores
Kill did well overseas, that too in non-traditional markets while in India, its performance was decent though one expected more due to the word of mouth. If that was the case, its profit margin would have been higher. Nevertheless, for a film with a newcomer and a theme that alienated a section of the audience, it delivered a profit of around Rs. 5 cr.
11. Laapataa Ladies
Budget: Rs. 15 crores
Box Office: Rs. 25.26 crores
It is arguably the most acclaimed film of the year but its theatrical box office business was not up to the mark as a chunk of the audience saw the film later on, on Netflix. Nevertheless, its theatrical business was aided by the dry period and thanks to the association of Aamir Khan, it landed a nice deal with the streaming giant. It is estimated that the movie made approximately Rs. 5 cr. in profit for the makers
Trade expert speaks up
Trade guru Komal Nahta said, “There are very few films in 2024 which did well in theatres and were also sold at great prices for OTT and satellite; the satellite market has been very poor this year. Stree 2, Munjya and Article 370 are among the high ROI films. Those who managed to keep their costs in control have reaped the benefits. Also, Dinesh Vijan’s films work as he works very hard on music as well. A look at the list of most profitable ventures should underline how important music is. All the films are not musicals but at least the first two (Stree 2 and Munjya) are musical hits.”
He further said, “Going forward, producers have to keep the costs in check and word hard on the music. We are a musical country. One should not assume that ‘Music ke bina main blockbuster bana dunga’.”
NOTE – Worldwide box office gross figures are mentioned in this article. Profit figures are as per trade sources.
Also Read: Shraddha Kapoor announces exciting new projects after Stree 2, fans eager for her upcoming films
More Pages: Article 370 Box Office Collection , Article 370 Movie Review
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