Box Office Predictions of 2015 Bollywood Movies: Part 1

We all know box office is extremely unpredictable, but it’s always fun to predict the lifetime collections of films at the very beginning of a year. In fact, we got quite a few films right last year. Below, we have the box office predictions of 12 Bollywood films that are scheduled to release in 2015.

Note: Predictions are based on trade expectations, star cast and genre of the film.

Tevar (50-55 cr): Arjun Kapoor had a good 2014 with two of his films doing good business – Gunday and 2 States. So when he pairs up with Sonakshi Sinha for the first time in Tevar, expectations are automatically raised. But it is the first big release of the year and typically the first or second week of the year isn’t very fruitful for Hindi films. Also, PK will continue to remain strong in Week 4. We expect it to do average business of around 50-55 crore but Tevar has the potential to surprise us all.

Baby (80-85 cr): Akshay Kumar’s Baby will be arriving with a lot of buzz. The trailer has been very well received but it doesn’t have any songs to boast of and it will also be clashing with Dolly Ki Doli on Republic Day weekend. However, the initial buzz has died down in the last couple of weeks as the trailer was released way too early. Ideally, the makers should have released the trailer with PK. We expect it to better the business done by Special 26 two years ago, but the 100 crore mark could be out of reach, unless the content is extra-ordinary.

Shamitabh (40-45 cr): Amitabh Bachchan and R Balki team up once again in this film. Dhanush stars in his second Hindi film and Kamal Hassaan’s younger daughter Akshara Hassaan makes her debut in Shamitabh. Going by the premise, we expect the film to be liked and the performances of both Dhanush and Amitabh will be appreciated.

Roy (55-60 cr): Roy arrives on the coveted Valentine’s Day weekend. It stars Ranbir Kapoor in an extended guest appearance and the publicity of the film will be centered around Ranbir which will guarantee it a better than normal opening. The music also seems very strong from the promos which will add to the opening.

Gabbar (80-85 cr): Akshay Kumar returns to the masala genre where he hasn’t had much success off late. Gabbar is the remake of a very well received South Indian film and it enjoys that advantage. However, it is not likely to be a solo release and that will take a few crore out of the opening. The title is very good and can redeem the film’s opening. 100 crore seems like a tough task but if the content clicks, who knows?

Detective Byomkesh Bakshy (50-55 cr): Sushant Singh Rajput has worked extremely hard for playing the Bengali Super Sleuth Byomkesh Bakshy from the news trickling out of the YRF headquarters. Dibakar Banerjee is one of the best directors we have, and Byomkesh Bakshy seems to be one of his more commercial endeavours. The film could get a lot of critical plaudits which will marginally improve the box office collections.

Piku (60-65 cr): Piku stars Amitabh Bachchan, Deepika Padukone and Irrfan Khan. The star cast is a heavy one and the film is directed by the magnificent Shoojit Sircar (Vicky Donor, Madras Cafe). Piku is supposed to be a heartwarming father-daughter story and if the film and the story are accepted, then nothing can stop Piku from going on a long run at the box office. We expect a good film out of Piku and if it turns out to be good, box office collections will automatically follow.

Phantom (80-85 cr): Saif Ali Khan teams up with Kabir Khan in an action thriller, also starring Katrina Kaif. After a disappointing 2014, Phantom should prove to be a saving grace for Saif and thankfully, the film has fairly good reports. Kabir Khan knows how to stylishly shoot his films and he can make his films looks grand. Phantom will get the multiplex audience in numbers.

Bombay Velvet (90-100 cr): Bombay Velvet is the riskiest film to predict in terms of its box office business. Anurag Kashyap is the king of indie cinema and Bombay Velvet is his film big budget film (and that too with a budget of 90 crore and more). We know the film is going to be fantastic but how well is it going to play with the general paying audience who watch movies just for casual entertainment? 100 crore seems like a steep task for BV but we are going to go with it nonetheless.

Welcome Back (70-75 cr): Welcome Back is the sequel of a highly successful comedy film like Welcome but it arrives 8 years too late and the big stars of the original film Akshay Kumar and Katrina Kaif have not returned. Still, Welcome is one of the most well-liked comedy films on TV and the supporting cast is the same so there should be some curiosity in the public to see how it has turned out. We think it will make about the same money as the original film did.

Dil Dhadakne Do (90-95 cr): Dil Dhadakne Do is in the same vein as Zindagi Na Milegi Dobara, in the sense that ZNMD was a multiplex oriented film shot in exotic locales in Spain with a great ensemble cast. Dil Dhadakne Do is about a dysfunctional Punjabi film whereas ZNMD was about friendship. We expect Dil Dhadakne Do to be liked and hence the lofty box officer figures.

Humaari Adhuri Kahaani (70-75 cr): Music. We have heard great reports about the music of this film which is said to have one of the best soundtracks of 2015. Also, the film stars Emraan Hashmi, Vidya Balan and the talented Rajkumar Yadav. Mohit Suri has been on a great run lately and it should continue with Hamari Adhuri Kahaani. And, we know how well Vidya Balan and Kahaani go together!

Part 2 Box Office Predictions of Bollywood movies in 2015 will be published tomorrow. Since most biggies release in the second half of the year, all those films will be covered in tomorrow’s article. Stay tuned to Indicine!

Also, do post your predictions for the above films in the comments section below.