After the COVID 19 pandemic, cinema across the world, especially in India, went through a major slump. Fear of the virus and the rapid rise of OTT platforms kept audiences away from theatres. Footfalls dropped sharply, and the survival of big screen cinema became a serious concern.
At that point, the industry needed films that could pull people out of their homes and remind them why cinema can be experienced best only in theaters. Only movies that promised scale, emotion, and spectacle were able to revive audience interest.
Looking at the highest grossers after the pandemic shows a clear pattern.
2021: Pushpa The Rise
2022: RRR
2023: Jawan
2024: Pushpa 2 The Rule
2025: Dhurandhar
These successes underline two clear routes to box office dominance in the post COVID era. One is unmatched stardom, as seen with Shah Rukh Khan and Allu Arjun, who turned even regular commercial decent films into massive blockbusters through sheer fan power. The other is strong, compelling storytelling and filmmaking, as seen with RRR and Dhurandhar, where content itself became the driving force.
In short, post pandemic cinema survives on either extraordinary superstar appeal or exceptional content.
