The word blockbuster has been a common term in the film industry. But only a few titles have recorded this achievement for themselves. The credit goes to the presence of the superstars and a larger-than-life planning for every movie that helped to pull the masses to the big screen. Salman Khan ruled this list for almost ten years. While everyone waits for his comeback, others are slowly taking over.
So, we have selected ten of those movies that shattered box office numbers on the first day.
1) Dabangg
Salman Khan entered a completely different phase of his career with Wanted. Expectations were sky high. A routine masala story was chosen, where Bhaijaan confronted a villain, played by Sonu Sood. There was a glamorous item number that remains a chartbuster. There was also the theme of a broken family, where everyone reunited in the end. All of these factors contributed to an opening day number of Rs. 14.5 crores.
2) Bodyguard
Salman Khan’s success did not stop with endless hits a few years ago. People saw the superstar portraying different characters. In this case, he was a bodyguard who had two sides. One was a sweet and innocent guy who fell in love with someone. The other was a bodyguard who would do anything to save the man and his family, to whom he had been loyal. The Eid factor helped a lot, leading to an opening of Rs. 20 crores.
3) Agneepath
Yash Johar is mostly remembered for the failure of Agneepath, which became a cult classic. While others would have opted for a re-release, Karan Johar decided to bring his father’s story once again in a new form. There was more intensity this time. The characters were made ruthless. There was a strong villain who could not be taken down easily. The glimpses created a lot of buzz, and the film recorded Rs. 21 crores on the first day.
4) Ek Tha Tiger
Everyone wanted Salman Khan to work with Yash Raj Films. The much-awaited collaboration finally happened. The theme of secret agents was new. But the background of India Pakistan conflict was something that had already attempted. However, no one paid attention to the storyline as people wanted to see Salman doing action on screen and providing entertainment. The marketing strategy worked, following which the film opened at Rs. 32 crores.
5) Chennai Express
Rohit Shetty possibly wanted to clear the rumor that he would only work with Ajay Devgn. The blockbuster director approached India’s biggest superstar this time – Shah Rukh Khan. Compared to the fearless characters featured in his previous movies, SRK was seen as someone who appeared scared in the beginning and burst out in rage towards the end. The music was already a chartbuster, and the film had an opening of Rs. 39 crores.
6) Happy New Year
Viewers can expect only entertainment when Farah Khan joins Shah Rukh Khan. People just need to keep logic aside and enjoy, including the cameos that are common in Farah’s films. Farah decided to keep the scale as high as possible despite having a story with a mixture of silliness and emotions at the same time. Viewers were so attracted to the trailer that they did not stop themselves from buying tickets, leading to an opening of Rs. 44 crores.
7) Thugs of Hindostan
After the success of Fanaa and Dhoom 3, people were craving for more entertainment from Aamir Khan. One of the major reasons was his return to Yash Raj Films. Moreover, Amitabh Bachchan was playing an important role. But the final content that came on screen disappointed everyone. A majority failed to understand what the makers were trying to convey. However, the ongoing hype contributed to a good start with Rs. 50 crores.
8) War
The year before lockdown was the last time Bollywood witnessed multiple hits until the end. Every movie was working in some manner. In between that, an action entertainer arrived. People were impressed with Hrithik Roshan’s performance in Super 30. But here, they saw a stylish side of the actor, with a lot of swag. The glimpses hinted towards a larger-than-life experience, which turned out to be true. It recorded an opening of Rs. 52 crores.
9) Pathaan
There have been rare cases where a superstar goes into exile after witnessing multiple failures. Shah Rukh Khan undoubtedly learned a lesson with two flops. The superstar understood that he must satisfy the public instead of doing what he likes. He eventually returned to the action genre. It went to a different level with the addition of John Abraham as the villain. Every theatre celebrated the movie like a festival, with an opening of Rs. 57 crores.
10) Jawan
Shah Rukh Khan promised to bring three films. The superstar did not let go of his commitment. The wait was a little longer. A gap of nine months helped to create more buzz, eventually pulling audiences. People have already seen a lot of movies based on corruption. This time, the presentation was new. Atlee also added emotional moments as much as possible to send an important message. The opening was bigger, with numbers touching the mark of Rs. 75 crores.
The situation has not remained the same today in terms of collections. The content of the film has now become more important to make audiences buy tickets and watch the movie. After an underwhelming year, Dhurandhar created a record that will be hard to break. However, trade experts are saying that big-scale titles like King and Ramayana have the potential to make better ones. Let’s see what happens.
