The Echo-nomist

The COVID-19 pandemic cast an unexpected shadow, disrupting the very rhythm of the Indian film industry. Theatres, where once stories unfolded with audience gasps and laughter, shuttered their doors, leaving cinemas deserted and red carpets rolled up in melancholy. In this surreal landscape, the spotlight shifted from the grand theatres to the intimate screens in our homes.

Streaming platforms became the new theatres, and the audience, the director of their own cinematic experience, chose when and where these stories unfolded. As the world tiptoed towards a semblance of normalcy, the film industry, like a phoenix rising from the ashes, sought to redefine its narrative. It’s taken a while, but the once abandoned movie theatres have come alive again with audiences’ laughter and surprise, the flickering of projectors and the rustle of popcorn.

2023 will go down in history as Bollywood’s financial comeback from the pandemic. 2023 has the greatest number of Rs 500 crore grossers in indian box office history and the Indian film industry Let’s take a look at what movies called audiences back to theatres.

Picture abhi baaki hai meri dost. After the year Shah Rukh Khan has had, that dialogue is apt for his career as well. He kicked off the year with Pathaan, a massive ₹1050 crore blockbuster. Later in September, Jawan hit the screens, surpassing his own record with a whopping ₹1152 crore. The year concluded on a high note with Dunki, released towards the end, poised to cross the ₹500 crore milestone. Old is gold, at least in bollywood. Another actor who proved himself this year is Sunny Bhai, whose hit movie Gadar earned ₹687 crore. Rajnikanth, the legendary actor from South India, made a remarkable comeback, demonstrating that age is merely a number with his Tamil blockbuster, Jailer, raking in ₹605 crore.

It runs in the family as Bobby Deol’s appearance opposite Ranbir Kapoor in Animal was enough to make an Iranian folk song trending. Ranbir Kapoor beat his own highest grosser record of Sanju, with Animal earning more than the ₹850 crore mark at the box office globally. The year ended on a high with Salaar: Part 1 – Ceasefire, which has already earnt ₹659 crores.

Earlier in the year we saw the release of some romcom’s as well. Tu Jhooti Main Makkar collected ₹220 crores worldwide. Karan Johar made a film with his signature extravagant sets and a cute but cringey story – Rocky aur Rani Kii Prem Kahani. It’s the tenth highest earning Indian film of the year. But these films didn’t do half as well as the earlier mentioned films.

It was literally an action-packed year for Indian cinema. One thing that didn’t change was smoothly choreographed romantic songs and pulsating music. Even a film like Animal is incomplete without songs like “pehle bhi mein” and “hua mein.” Other than that, there was a wild shift in the genre of Bollywood films. Action films were rebirthed with Pathan, Jawan, Gadar 2, Animal – four of the biggest blockbusters ever made in Hindi cinema. Since they performed so well in the box office, you can expect some more action films from the industry.

The violent streak is very evidently visible in the top 10 films of 2023. If this were to be compared to pre-pandemic years, there is a clear trend.

Year after year, there has been a surge in the presence of action films within the list of the top 10 highest-grossing films in India. The shift from having 4 action films in the top 10 in 2017 to witnessing the top 8 movies of 2023 being action films indicates a noticeable increase in both the production and viewership of movies featuring intense action and violence. This trend reflects a growing audience preference for the adrenaline-pumping excitement, intense sequences, and dynamic storytelling that are characteristic of action-oriented cinema. Action films, known for their gripping narratives and visually spectacular sequences, have been resonating well with Indian audiences, contributing to their increasing representation in the highest-grossing charts. It looks like people enjoy the excitement and thrill that action movies bring to the cinema.

The financial comeback of 2023 is evident not just in the success of individual movies but also in the overall increased earnings, surpassing the trends of the pre-pandemic years. The graph below indicates the increased earnings from films released in 2023. With the exception of 2017’s top movie (Baahubali 2: The Conclusion), the graph for 2023 lies above the graph lines representing previous years.

Action packed films such as Baahubali 2: The Conclusion, 2.0, War, and Baaghi 2 have consistently secured top positions in the highest-grossing movies each year. These movies often featured intense sequences, thrilling narratives, and larger-than-life visuals, resonating well with the audience. The contribution of action films to the earnings of the top 10 movies of the year has been on the rise. It has increased from 56.5% of the top 10 earnings in 2017, to 60.6% in 2018, 24.9% in 2018 and a whopping 88.5% in 2023.

2023 stands as a defining year for Bollywood, a testament to the industry’s ability to reinvent itself, captivate audiences, and emerge stronger from the challenges posed by the pandemic. Other than marking the revival of cinemas in India, this year also showcased the evolving preferences of the Indian audience, with action films taking the center stage. As Shahid Kapoor said, “mere (bollywood) ke life mein sirf do cheeze hai… pyaar, pyaar, pyaar ya maar, maar, maar.”