It’s been a fairly good year for the industry so far. We already have a few 100 crore grossers and the biggest release of each month has also gone on to become the highest all-time grosser. It was Shah Rukh Khan in January, Akshay Kumar in February and now we have a young star like Varun Dhawan not only topping the month, but also delivering the first ever 100 crore grosser of March.
January: The first month of the year doesn’t usually see movies featuring one of the Top 3 stars in the industry. This year was an exception and Shah Rukh Khan, inspite of a major clash with Hrithik Roshan’s Kaabil has managed to top the month of January. Akshay’s Airlift moves down to take the third spot, while Hrithik’s 2012 film Agneepath continues to hold on to the 3rd.
- Raees (132 cr) – Shah Rukh Khan
- Airlift (128 cr) – Akshay Kumar
- Agneepath (122 cr) - Hrithik Roshan
February: The second month is also known to be one of the dullest months of the year, but Jolly LLB 2 went on to become the first ever 100 crore grosser of February. With Jolly LLB 2’s entry, Shah Rukh Khan’s 7-year-old My Name Is Khan moves out of the Top 3 list.
- Jolly LLB 2 (116 cr) – Akshay Kumar
- Gunday (78 cr) - Ranveer Singh and Arjun Kapoor
- Neerja (76 cr) – Sonam Kapoor
March: ‘Badrinath Ki Dulhania’ has decimated all records of March to become the all-time highest grosser of the year. The month itself is known to be dull with the beginning of the exam season and temperatures soaring at the beginning of the summer season. With the success of ‘Badrinath Ki Dulhania’, Varun Dhawan has emerged as one of the top stars in the industry. Kangana Ranaut’s Queen goes out of the list.
- Badrinath Ki Dulhania – Varun Dhawan
- Kapoor & Sons (75 cr) – Sidharth Malhotra
- Race (63 cr) – Saif Ali Khan
April: FAN was a huge disappointment last year, but still managed to make it to the Top 3. We have one big non-Hindi release lined up for the ‘IPL month’ next year. The magnum opus ‘Baahubali 2’ should easily top the month, unless it turns out to be a major disappointment.
- Housefull 2 (116 cr) - Akshay Kumar
- 2 States (102 cr) – Arjun Kapoor
- FAN (85 cr) - Shah Rukh Khan
May: Arjun Kapoor’s Half Girlfriend is the biggest release of the month, the best case scenario seems to be the third spot – but anything is possible at the box office if content is accepted by the audience, the biggest example is the May 2015 release Tanu Weds Manu Returns.
- Yeh Jawaani Hai Deewani (189 cr) – Ranbir Kapoor
- Tanu Weds Manu Returns (151 cr) – Kangana Ranaut
- Gabbar Is Back (87 cr) – Akshay Kumar
June: Housefull 3 failed to make it to the Top 3 last year, but the all-time highest grosser of June will be ripped apart by Salman Khan. The megastar, who has dominated July and August in the last 6 years, will now target the month of June. It shouldn’t take more than 4-5 days to beat the 5-year-old record of Rowdy Rathore.
- Rowdy Rathore (134 cr) – Akshay Kumar
- Ready (121 cr) – Salman Khan
- Holiday (113 cr) – Akshay Kumar
July: Sultan came second last year, falling just 20 crore short of Bajrangi Bhaijaan, but July has been all about Salman Khan. All his last three Eid releases are in the Top 3. The only other actor apart from Aamir Khan (December) to dominate a month. As he leaves July and targets June, he leaves others like Tiger Shroff’s Munna Michael with no chance to make it to the Top 3.
- Bajrangi Bhaijaan (321 cr) – Salman Khan
- Sultan (301 cr) – Salman Khan
- Kick (233 cr) – Salman Khan
August: Shah Rukh Khan returns during a month that has been successful for him. He leads the month of August with his 2013 film ‘Chennai Express’ remaining unchallenged in the last 3 years. A top-3 position looked easy just a couple of weeks ago, but the announcement of ‘Toilet Ek Prem Katha’ for the Independence Day weekend changes it all.
- Chennai Express (227 cr) - Shahrukh Khan
- Ek Tha Tiger (199 cr) - Salman Khan
- Bodyguard (145 cr) – Salman Khan
September: ‘Judwaa 2’ starring Varun – Jacqueline – Taapsee and Ajay Devgn’s Baadshaho are the big releases in September. With Badrinath Ki Dulhania’s success, ‘Judwaa 2’ should make it to atleast the 3rd spot, if not go higher up the list.
- Dabangg (140 cr) - Salman Khan
- MS Dhoni (133 cr) – Sushant Singh Rajput
- Barfi! (106 cr) – Ranbir Kapoor
October: Both Diwali releases failed to make it to the Top 3 last year, Ae Dil Hai Mushkil did well, Shivaay was a big disappointment. This year, Robot 2.0 is the big release. It features Rajnikanth and Akshay Kumar in the lead. Will the Hindi version of the film beat the 2011 release Ra One?
- Happy New Year (180 cr) - Shahrukh Khan
- Bang Bang (148 cr) - Hrithik Roshan
- Ra.One (125 cr) – Shahrukh Khan
November: It’s Sanjay Leela Bhansali’s Padmavati which is the big release in November this year. But disruptions of the shooting schedule has made the release of the film uncertain. Prem Ratan Dhan Payo is the highest grosser of the month.
- Prem Ratan Dhan Payo (213 cr) – Salman Khan
- Krrish 3 (196 cr) – Hrithik Roshan
- Jab Tak Hai Jaan (120 cr) - Shahrukh Khan
December: 3 Idiots moves out and Dangal tops. It’s Aamir Khan all the way in the month of December. The man has now delivered the ‘Highest Grosser of the Year’ and ‘Highest Grosser of All-Time’ with every Christmas release Ghajini onwards. The 4th highest grosser is Aamir’s 3 Idiots, followed by Bajirao Mastani which collected Rs 188 crore in December 2016.
- Dangal (385 cr) – Aamir Khan
- PK (340 cr) – Aamir Khan
- Dhoom 3 (285 cr) – Aamir Khan
Final Analysis
- January - Shah Rukh Khan (Raees)
- February - Akshay Kumar (Jolly LLB 2)
- March - Varun Dhawan (Badrinath Ki Dulhania)
- April – Akshay Kumar (Housefull 2)
- May – Ranbir Kapoor (Yeh Jawaani Hai Deewani)
- June – Akshay Kumar (Rowdy Rathore)
- July – Salman Khan (Bajrangi Bhaijaan)
- August – Shah Rukh Khan (Chennai Express)
- September – Salman Khan (Dabangg)
- October – Shah Rukh Khan (Happy New Year)
- November - Salman Khan (Prem Ratan Dhan Payo)
- December – Aamir Khan (Dangal)
Article idea and Credit: Saksham Duggal