Revival and Resurgence: Bollywood’s Triumph in 2023
Image Source: Telugu360
Bollywood films saw higher growth in audience in 2023 than in 2022. The box office dynamics of the year not only showcased a remarkable resurgence for Bollywood movies but also highlighted the ascending growth of South Indian movies on the global cinematic stage. The 2023 Bollywood films put up a massive show for the audience, demonstrating that they were back and better.
By the end of 2022, it had become a major concern whether Bollywood films would still be able to compete in a leveled playing field market with the South Indian film industry. The COVID-19 pandemic had already caused many delayed releases and production halts, leading to rushed production schedules that affected the quality of the end result.
The competition increased with South Indian movies like RRR, KGF Chapter 2, and Kantara shifting the audience’s attention. Not only this, but it also reduced the interest of the audience in going to theaters to watch a movie, preferring instead to watch it on an OTT streaming platform. Then came the #boycottbollywood campaign on Twitter in August, continuing until the end of September. This trend heated up during the release of star films like Raksha Bandhan, Brahmastra, Laal Singh Chadda, and Vikram Vedha. The final film to break these trolls was the 2023 Shah Rukh Khan starrer Pathaan, which became the first Bollywood film to cross 1000 crores after the pandemic.
After battling negative publicity and trolls on Twitter, the film managed to set a record opening for the year. Just like that, the Hindi Cinema industry received a big boost. The year continued to bring out big films with big names, budgets, and themes, attracting their old audience back to the theaters. It was seen that the quality of content had improved compared to last year with the use of new types of directions in stories and themes. This did not mean that the South Indian Film Industry was not doing well, as they also had some of their own comebacks.
Rajinikanth Starrer Jailer grossed over 600 crores at the box office, becoming the actor’s first profitable film after three flops. Prabhas starrer Salaar Part 1 also became the actor’s most profitable film since 2017.
What was more different this year was that most films, even in the romance genre, crossed over 100 crores, whereas it was difficult for one film to cross even the 50 crore mark in 2021. Shah Rukh Khan returned this year with three films after a five-year absence. His first film, Pathaan, grossed 1050 crores; his second, Jawan, released in September, grossed 1130 crores, and the highest-grossing film of the year, finishing off the year in December with Dunki, grossed 450 crores, making each one his highest-grossing films.
Actor Sunny Deol reunited with director Anil Sharma to make a sequel to the 2001 cult classic Gadar, which grossed over 650 crores. Akshay Kumar returned to make a second Oh My God film, which grossed 200 crores. Salman Khan returned for the role of Tiger alongside Emraan Hashmi in Tiger 3, which grossed over 440 crores, making it a marvelous comeback for both at the box office. Hollywood films also made their mark in the Indian market with summer blockbusters like Oppenheimer, Fast X, and Mission Impossible 7, each grossing over 110 crores.
While there is a huge increase in numbers in Hindi Cinema in 2023 compared to its previous years, which is increasing its worldwide recognition of Indian Films and making the country a bigger market for film distribution.
Author
Aarav Sharma, a student enrolled at Christ University, Bannerghatta, possesses a profound interest in cinema and entertainment media. Alongside his ardor for films, resides a fervent passion for composing narratives within the entertainment industry.
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