2026 has witnessed some unexpected situations at the box office. Some movies performed well, and others did not, despite creating a lot of buzz before release. Dhurandhar 2 has already emerged as a blockbuster, breaking all the records created by other big films over the last few years.
However, the year started with Border 2, which became a super hit due to the popularity of the first film. Then there was The Kerala Story 2, which worked to some extent due to the subject and the connection that it made with the audiences, irrespective of the fact that critics did not like the film.
Bhooth Bangla’s super hit status marked a big comeback for Akshay Kumar after a lineup of flops. Main Vaapas Aaunga had a slow start, and it eventually picked up with word of mouth, emerging as a success in the end. Shahid Kapoor’s Cocktail 2 also worked due to its appeal to the youth audience.
Welcome to the Jungle managed to get decent feedback due to its ensemble cast and being in the headlines for multiple delays. It still became a hit. While there were doubts that the release of two comedy films one after another might impact the collections, Dhamaal 4 worked and received the tag of a hit.
After Akshay Kumar, it was Emraan Hashmi who was back in the spotlight with Awarapan 2. The recall value of the first film, along with superhit music, helped it to get an opening that was bigger than the lifetime collections of Awarapan. It emerged as a Super Hit.
Hanuman Ansh left trade experts surprised after taking a start of Rs. 10 lakhs and going on to collect more than Rs. 300 crores at the box office. Mirzapur The Movie also unexpectedly worked and connected with the masses. Among the latest releases, The Vvaan has been a decent success, followed by Drishyam: The Conclusion, which is a blockbuster.
Compared to 2024 and 2025, the ongoing year has had better results at the box office. While the collections were not as good as expected, the hit ratio is higher this time.
But now there is more pressure on the upcoming releases. As of now, there are two big films that are expected to create similar records. The lineup starts with Ramayana, followed by King. Both have expressed doubts about their fate at the box office for certain reasons.
Ramayana is already dealing with criticism due to its promotional strategy. On the other hand, King has left fans worried due to the release date, which has been unlucky for Bollywood after the pandemic.
As of now, nothing can be said with conviction until the advance bookings open and the first-day collections are out. Only time will tell if the predictions are going to be true or if increased interest among the audience will prove all the predictions wrong.
