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Stree 2 has become the most profitable Hindi films of 2024.
Stree 2 beats Animal :The medium-budget is managed to compete strongly against big releases such as Jawan, Animal, and Kalki for 2024. Nevertheless, the Malayalam film Premalu stands as the most profitable movie of the year up to this point.
Indian theatres are celebrating the success of Stree 2, which has become the most profitable Hindi film of the year. This achievement is particularly notable given the recent struggles of the Bollywood box office, where big-budget and star-studded films have underperformed.
Notably, films featuring major stars like Akshay Kumar and Hrithik Roshan have failed to make an impact. Kumar’s Khel Khel Mein, released on August 15 alongside Stree 2, and the January release Fighter, starring Roshan, both disappointed audiences.
This has added to the difficulties faced by theatre operators, who have struggled throughout the year with an unpredictable and challenging box office landscape.
On the other hand, Stree 2 has provided a much-needed boost for exhibitors, earning over Rs 520 crore in just 20 days against a budget of around Rs 60 crore. This film is now the third fastest Hindi movie to cross the Rs 500-crore mark.
Shah Rukh Khan’s Jawan achieved this in 13 days, while Ranbir Kapoor’s Animal reached it in 16 days. Stree 2 accomplished the milestone in 18 days.
Earlier this year, single-screen exhibitor Vishek Chauhan highlighted the significance of the time a film takes to earn its revenue, emphasizing its importance for the cinema business.
What people need to understand is that a film’s profitability depends not just on how much it makes, but on how quickly it earns that money.
Time is crucial for a film’s success. An exhibitor would prefer a film that earns Rs 300 crore in a week over one that takes a year to reach the same amount.
“That’s the kind of film that drives footfalls,” said Chauhan, discussing the underwhelming performance of Fighter. Despite high expectations for the multi-star film, it failed to meet box office goals, leading to a slower business month.
Released on January 25, Fighter earned approximately Rs 80 crore at the box office during the extended Republic Day weekend.
By the end of its first extended weekend, Stree 2 had earned approximately Rs 195 crore, with strong momentum continuing throughout the weekdays. In a major multiplex chain like PVR Inox, Stree 2 celebrated surpassing Rs 200 crore in net box office collection (NBOC), becoming only the third film to achieve this milestone.
The other films to reach this level are Shah Rukh Khan’s Jawan and Kannada superstar Yash’s KGF Chapter 2. This accomplishment was highlighted by Kamal Gianchandani, CEO of PVR Inox Pictures, in a tweet, underscoring the film’s significant success in the box office.
Stree 2 versus Animal, Jawan
The medium-budget film Stree 2 has outperformed major releases such as Jawan, Animal and the upcoming Kalki 2898 AD. Animal and Jawan both released in 2023, saw impressive returns on investment (ROI), with Animal achieving a 177% ROI and Jawan securing 113%. However, Stree 2 has far surpassed these figures, reporting a profit of Rs 460 crore—seven times its budget—resulting in an extraordinary ROI of 767%.
Directed by Amar Kaushik, this horror-comedy has eclipsed other successful 2024 releases in terms of profitability. It has outshone films like Munjya, the Hindi-dubbed HanuMan, and Kalki 2898 AD, as well as Bollywood movies such as Shaitaan and Article 370.
For comparison, the Hindi version of HanuMan grossed Rs 147 crore domestically, while Kalki 2898 AD in its Hindi version earned around Rs 294 crore. Despite a budget of Rs 35 crore, HanuMan’s domestic earnings were about Rs 147 crore. On the other hand, Kalki 2898 AD, made on a substantial budget of Rs 600 crore, generated Rs 640 crore within 40 days of its release in India.
On its home front, Stree 2 is nearing the Rs 600-crore mark in domestic earnings and is approaching a global box office collection of Rs 700 crore. This remarkable financial success highlights the film’s dominant performance in a competitive market, demonstrating its strong appeal and significant impact compared to other recent releases.
Malayalam cinema's winning streak
This year, Malayalam cinema has had a standout performance at the box office, with Premalu emerging as the most profitable film of 2024. Made on a modest budget of Rs 3 crore, Premalu earned Rs 95 crore in India, achieving an impressive ROI of over 3,000 percent.
In the first half of 2024, Malayalam cinema as a whole generated Rs 743 crore in revenue, surpassing the Rs 633 crore earned in 2022 and the Rs 572 crore from the previous year. This impressive performance highlights Malayalam cinema’s continued growth and success in the industry.
Post-covid movie business
Looking beyond 2024, The Kashmir Files outperforms Stree 2 in terms of profitability in the post-Covid era. Released in March 2022, The Kashmir Files earned approximately Rs 195 crore in India, against a budget of about Rs 20 crore, resulting in a notable ROI of 875 percent.
Post-Covid Bollywood successes have been inconsistent, with films either performing exceptionally well or failing to make an impact, according to exhibitors.
Despite strong performances by films like Kalki 2898 AD and Stree 2 in the second quarter of the current fiscal year, the overall Hindi box office collections are estimated to have fallen by 31 percent year-on-year to Rs 1,110 crore.
This decline is attributed to a higher base from the previous year, which saw blockbusters such as Gadar 2, OMG 2, and Jawan.
Moreover, domestic cinema footfalls have continued to decrease post-Covid. In 2019, cinema footfalls were approximately 103 crore, but this number fell by 8 percent to 94.3 crore last year and is estimated to drop by around 20 percent this year.