Salman Khan, Ajay Devgn, Akshay Kumar, Shah Rukh Khan and Hrithik Roshan rock the show in 2017, Varun Dhawan and Arjun Kapoor lead the young brigade

By Bollywood Hungama News Network -

January 15, 2018 - 11:00 AM IST

Disclaimers:

1. Only Hindi film releases have been counted (no dubbed versions)
2. Only India business has been considered (no overseas count)
3. Only lead roles have been considered (no cameos, special appearances)
4. Only those actors have been considered whose films have generated combined revenue of at least Rs. 100 crore at the Box Office
5. All collections as per production and distributor sources

Salman Khan, Ajay Devgn, Akshay Kumar, Shah Rukh Khan and Hrithik Roshan rock the show in 2017, Varun Dhawan and Arjun Kapoor lead the young brigade

Last year, there were superstars like Aamir Khan, Salman Khan and Akshay Kumar who had led from the front as far as delivering the biggest of grossers with the best of per film average was concerned. This year while Aamir Khan didn't have a release as a lead protagonist, Salman Khan has taken the march all over again with Akshay Kumar staying on to be consistent as ever.

Meanwhile, Ajay Devgn has found his way towards the top as well with Varun Dhawan as the surprise inclusion. Meanwhile, Hrithik Roshan too delivered well with his solitary release. Here is looking at the top actors of 2017 who brought in the maximum moolah and also scored quite well as far as per film average is concerned.

Salman Khan – Rs. 445 crore (expected) [Tubelight – Rs. 119.26 crore, Tiger Zinda Hai – Rs. 325.74 crore (expected)], Average moolah per release: Rs. 222.5 crore
Salman Khan has scored ultra-huge, and how. He may have delivered a disappointment with Tubelight but has roared strongly with Tiger Zinda Hai. The film has already scored over Rs. 300 crore and is set to touch Rs. 325 crore. The film is now the third 300 crore club film for Salman Khan. He also averages a phenomenal Rs. 222.5 crore per film in 2017. The superstar rocks!

Ajay Devgn – Rs. 283.79 crore [Baadshaho – Rs. 78.1 crore, Golmaal Again – Rs. 205.69 crore], Average moolah per release: Rs. 141.89 crore
Golmaal Again has ensured that Ajay Devgn finds his way at the Number 2 slot. Not just has he brought in mega moolah [Rs. 283.79 crore], he averages quite well too [Rs. 141.89 crore] even though Baadshaho didn't quite perform as per the high expectations one had from him. Nonetheless, he has a Blockbuster and a coverage film to his credit hence making a statement all over again that he is one superstar who will stay on!

Varun Dhawan – Rs. 255.29 crore [Badrinath Ki Dulhania – Rs. 116.68 crore, Judwaa 2 – Rs. 138.61 crore], Average moolah per release: 127.64 rore
Clearly the surprise inclusion in the list, Varun Dhawan has ensured that at least one young superstar is staying on to be consistent as ever with each of his releases. With Badrinath Ki Dulhania and Judwaa 2, he reached the coveted milestone of a double hat-trick, something that no actor from past or present has ensured in the last 30 odd years. With an average of over Rs. 125 crore per film, Varun is on a career high.

Akshay Kumar – Rs. 251.22 crore [Jolly LLB 2 – Rs. 117 crore, Toilet - Ek Prem Katha – Rs. 134.22 crore], Average moolah per release: Rs. 125.61 crore
Meanwhile, Akshay Kumar is quietly accumulating successive superhits. His average of Rs. 125.61 crore per release is quite impressive, especially if one takes into consideration the fact that the all-around cost of his films' making stays within the Rs. 40 crore zone. That allows a very good ROI, something that worked wonders for Jolly LLB 2 and Toilet - Ek Prem Katha as well. The man definitely knows to keep it all under control.

Hrithik Roshan – Rs. 103.84 crore [Kaabil – Rs. 103.84 crore], Average moolah per release: Rs. 103.84 crore
Hrithik Roshan just had a solitary release in 2017 and he scored well as more than Rs. 100 crore came in. Yet again, the making of Kaabil was pretty much under control with producer Rakesh Roshan keeping it all economical and director Sanjay Gupta delivering well with a classy product that appealed to the masses as well. As a superstar who has a potential to deliver even bigger, Hrithik is set for an eventful 2018 now.

Shah Rukh Khan – Rs. 201.84 crore [Raees – Rs. 137.51 crore, Jab Harry Met Sejal – Rs. 64.33 crore], Average moolah per release: 100.92 crore
Shah Rukh Khan did enjoy a good opening with Raees and the film too went on to register fine numbers. However, his name carries much bigger weight which means one now waits to see him deliver a major Rs. 200-300 crore success with his upcoming releases. One expected Jab Harry Met Sejal to be one such film but unfortunately it tanked in a big way. Nonetheless, he still averages over Rs. 100 crore for the year.

Arjun Kapoor – Rs. 115.89 crore [Half Girlfriend - 60.30 crore, Mubarakan - 55.59 crore], Average moolah per release: Rs. 58 crore
A nice surprise entry in the list is Arjun Kapoor who is the only actor other than the established superstars and the young brigade member Varun Dhawan to bring over Rs. 100 crore at the Box Office in 2017. Yes, both Half Girlfriend as well as Mubarakan were expected to do even better. Especially Mubarakan had the potential to go past at least the Rs. 75 crore mark. Had that happened, Arjun's average would have gone up!