What a fantastic 2023 it's turning out to be for Bollywood, what with a plethora of movies taking a record opening at the box office and breaking one record after another. If 2022 was rather low with even survival being difficult, there has been a surge of big bucks when it comes to theatrical revenues. Audiences are back in hordes with a vengeance and it all seems pretty unstoppable now. Animal is a live example of that as, despite being an A rated film with a running length of around three and a half hours, it's now the second biggest opener ever in history.
What makes 2023 all the more special is the fact that it has contributed to Top-3 in this list and if one accounts for Tiger 3 as well then that makes it four out of Top-10 biggest openers happening in the same calendar year. In fact, prior to Tiger 3 releasing, even Gadar 2 had made it to the list, which shows how Bollywood has struck back in such a big way in 2023.
Here is the list of Top-10 opening days in the history of Bollywood:
Jawan – Rs. 75 crores (including 9 crores from south versions)
Animal – Rs. 63.80 crores (including Rs. 9.05 crores from south versions)
Pathaan – Rs. 57 crores (including Rs. 2 crores from south versions)
KGF - Chapter 2 [Hindi] – Rs. 53.95 crores
War – Rs. 53.35 crores (including Rs. 1.75 crores from south versions)
Thugs of Hindostan – Rs. 52.25 crores (including Rs. 1.50 crores from south versions)
Happy New Year – Rs. 44.97 crores (including Rs. 2.37 crores from south versions)
Tiger 3 – Rs. 44.50 crores (including Rs. 1.50 crores from south versions)
Bharat – Rs. 42.30 crores
Baahubali - The Conclusion [Hindi] – Rs. 41 crores
While Prem Ratan Dhan Payo [Rs. 40.35 crores] has moved out of the Top-10 due to Animal entering the list, soon Baahubali - The Conclusion [Hindi] will be history as well once Dunki hits the screens. That would make it 5 out of 10 biggest openers coming from a single calendar year, a feat that would be challenged in 2024.
