Box-Office 2022 Rewind: From 'Shamshera' to 'Laal Singh Chaddha', 8 Bollywood films that sank without a trace
Many big-budget movies with stellar casts bombed at the BO.
By ET Online | Updated:
Agencies
2022 has so far proved to be a rough year for Bollywood.
Oh, how the mighty have fallen!
2022 has turned out to be one of the worst years Bollywood has ever seen. Box-office-wise, this year proved to be somewhat of a dry spell for the Hindi film fraternity. This was also a year of eye-openers. No star no matter how big was infallible. Many so-called bigwigs failed to deliver hits.
Moreover, it seems as if there is no ‘guarantee’ formula for delivering hits. Many films which were considered a certified crowd-puller, turned out to be a complete disaster at the box office. Several films opened to critical acclaim and even good to great word-of-the-mouth but still underperformed at the box office. Perhaps it's time filmmakers should let go of the idea that there is any sureshot recipe for box-office success and focus more on a great screenplay.
Following are eight movies that didn’t live up to the hype and turned out to box-office duds :
When ‘Shamshera’ Did The Walk Of Shame
This period action drama literally had everything going on for it. It had Ranbir Kapoor in the lead. The movie was backed by Yash Raj Films, the premier production house in the country. It was helmed by Karan Malhotra ( director of Hrithik Roshan-Priyanka Chopra starrer ‘Agneepath’ ) who was regarded as the go-to filmmaker for massy period movies with a strong emotional core. The movie also had Sanjay Dutt (another staple favourite when it came to being the on-screen villain) as the antagonist Shuddh Singh. It also had Vaani Kapoor who was guaranteed to bring her own quota of oomph. However, despite all the hype, the movie failed to create any impact at the box office. Made on a colossal budget of over Rs 150 crores, the movie couldn’t mint even half that amount. According to a Koimoi.com report, the film collected just over Rs 43 crores.
‘Jayeshbhai Jordaar’ Struggled To Stay Afloat
On paper, this movie seemed like a sureshot box-office success. The movie had the ever-reliable Ranveer Singh as the leading man. It had an original screenplay, and progressive themes to boot as the protagonist is shown launching a one-man war to prevent female infanticide. But despite generating huge buzz on the Internet and being lauded by the critics upon its release, ‘Jayeshbhai Jordaar’ turned out to be ‘kamzor’ (weak). The movie could only gross Rs 17 crores at the BO. (According to a Koimoi.com report)
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‘Dhaakad’ Failed To Live Up To Its Hype
‘Dhaakad’ proved to be quite bekaar (poor). This action thriller starred Kangana Ranaut (the ‘Queen’ of Bollywood) as sort of the desi cousin of Lara Croft. The film had all the so-called ingredients of a Bollywood blockbuster - guns, action sequences, and bombshells wielding guns. But the movie bombed ( pun intended) at the box office. ‘Dhaakad’ managed to sell just 20 tickets (thereby collecting just over Rs 4000) on day 8 and became a laughing stock among netizens. The movie ended up with a paltry lifetime collection of just over Rs 2.05 crores!
Even Hrithik Roshan Couldn’t Save ‘Vikram Vedha’ From Sinking
Although this neo-noir action thriller starring Saif Ali Khan and Hrithik Roshan was an official remake of the 2017 blockbuster of the same name, it was one of the most anticipated films of 2022, as it featured Roshan in his first outing as a villain. Upon its release, the movie received critical acclaim. Roshan in particular was praised for his on-point performance as Vedha the dreaded gangster who is modelled after the mythological monster Vetala. However, the movie proved to be a box-office disaster. According to a Koimoi.com report, the movie earned just Rs 77 crores.
‘Phone Bhoot’ Found No Takers
The fate of this self-proclaimed ‘bhayanak (dangerous) comedy’ turned out to be rather… bhayanak. Made on a budget of Rs 30 crore, the movie amassed just Rs 13 crore (Koimoi.com report). Despite having an original screenplay, an ethereally beautiful Katrina Kaif, and stellar performances from Siddhant Chaturvedi and Ishaan Khatter, this Gurmmeet Singh directorial could cut no ice with the movie-goers.
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‘Samrat Prithviraj’ Experienced A Crushing Defeat At The BO
This period drama starring Akshay Kumar as the eponymous legendary Rajput king who is widely regarded as a symbol of honour and chivalry turned out to be a complete washout at the box office. Many audiences found the movie to be too rushed and bland. Several viewers found the ageing Kumar to be miscast in the role of the young king who is said to have been just 26 at the time he was slain. The movie which had a humongous budget of Rs 200 crores, could earn just Rs 68 crore at the box office.
‘Raksha Bandhan’ Had A Great Fall
2022 was the year when Akshay ‘Khiladi Kumar seemed out of the game. Once considered a guy who could do no wrong when it came to choosing scripts and delivering hits, the ‘Hera Pheri’ star suffered not one but three pricey flops this year - ‘Samrat Prithviraj’, ‘ Bachchhan Paandey’ and ‘ Raksha Bandhan’. Although this movie had an original and engaging screenplay - it revolved around brother-sister bonds, the movie could not earn Rs 44 crore at the box office (Koimoi.com)
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‘Laal Singh Chaddha’ Couldn’t Recreate The Magic Of ‘Forrest Gump’
This Aamir Khan-Kareena Kapoor Khan starrer was one of the most anticipated movies of 2022. An official remake of the evergreen classic ‘Forrest Gump’ (starring Tom Hanks) the movie featured Khan in the role of Laal Singh Chaddha a guy with low IQ. The movie turned out to be a box-office disaster. Made on a budget of more than Rs 180 crore, LSC took home just over Rs 58 crore.
‘Thank You’, ‘Radhe Shyam’, ‘Liger’: A Look At The Biggest Flops Of South Cinema
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In 2022, while Bollywood witnessed successive flops, movies from South India gave some of the biggest hits. However, not all films in the south raked in astronomical sums at the box office. Here’s a look at some of the biggest box-office duds in Tamil, Telugu and Kannada film industries.
In 2022, while Bollywood witnessed successive flops, movies from South India gave some of the biggest hits. However, not all films in the south raked in astronomical sums at the box office. Here’s a ..
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Released on March 11, ‘Radhe Shyam’ was one of the most expensive movies of 2022 that failed massively at the box office. Directed by Radha Krishna Kumar, the film reportedly suffered losses of over Rs 100 crore. Despite being a high-budget film, ‘Radhe Shyam’ earned only Rs 48 crore on its opening day.
It is a period romantic drama film with Prabhas and Pooja Hedge in the lead roles. Set in the Italy of the 1970s, ‘Radhe Shyam’ tells the story of Vikramaditya (played by Prabhas), a palmist, who is conflicted between destiny and his love for Prerana (played by Pooja Hedge).
While speaking about why his film tanked at the box office, the ‘Baahubali’ star said, “Maybe Covid or maybe we missed something in the script. Maybe people didn't want to watch me in that zone.”
Released on March 11, ‘Radhe Shyam’ was one of the most expensive movies of 2022 that failed massively at the box office. Directed by Radha Krishna Kumar, the film reportedly suffered losses of over ..
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‘Acharya’ is a Telugu-language action-drama film directed by Kortala Siva. It stars Chiranjeev, Ram Charan, Pooja Hegde and Sonu Sood in lead roles. Touted to be a socio-political actioner, this film was a huge commercial failure. Made on a budget of roughly Rs 140 crore, ‘Acharya’ grossed Rs 76 crore only.
The plot follows the story of Acharya (played by Chiranjeevi), a Naxalite leader, who enters a shrine named Dharmasthali to put an end to the oppression caused by a local politician named Basava (played by Sonu Sood).
‘Acharya’ is a Telugu-language action-drama film directed by Kortala Siva. It stars Chiranjeev, Ram Charan, Pooja Hegde and Sonu Sood in lead roles. Touted to be a socio-political actioner, this film..
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Directed by Puri Jagannadh, ‘Liger’ is a sports action film that has Vijay Deverakonda playing the role of the titular MMA fighter and Ananya Panday. Released in five languages, this film marked Deverakonda’s debut in Hindi cinema and Ananya Panday’s debut in Telugu cinema. Made on the budget of about Rs 125 crore, ‘Liger’ could only recover Rs 60 crore.
The film’s plot follows the story of an MMA fighter (Deverakonda), who moves to Mumbai from Banaras after his father’s death. During his training for the MMA championship, Liger meets and falls in love with Tanya (Ananya Panday). However, after learning that Liger has a stammering problem, Tanya rejects him. This rejection then motivates him to win the MMA National Championship.
Directed by Puri Jagannadh, ‘Liger’ is a sports action film that has Vijay Deverakonda playing the role of the titular MMA fighter and Ananya Panday. Released in five languages, this film marked Deve..
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It seems that 2022 was not a good year for many south actors and actresses. Another movie that was a flop at the box office was ‘Thank you’. Made on a budget of around Rs 40 crore, ‘Thank You’ failed to impress its audience. Directed by Vikram Kumar, this film only earned Rs 8 crore.
The Telugu-language romantic drama, ‘Thank You’, stars Naga Chaitanya, Raashii Khanna, Malavika Nair, Avika Gor and Sai Sushanth Reddy. The plot of the film follows the story of a self-centred businessman who after a major tragedy, is forced to look back at the prominent moments that built the foundation of his success in his life. After a lot of introspection, the businessman then embarks on a journey of thanking the people who helped him.
It seems that 2022 was not a good year for many south actors and actresses. Another movie that was a flop at the box office was ‘Thank you’. Made on a budget of around Rs 40 crore, ‘Thank You’ failed..
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‘Aaraattu’ is a Malayalam action film directed by B Unnikrishnan. Made at a budget of approximately Rs 25 crore, ‘Aaraattu’ managed to garner only Rs 20 crore at the box office after it was released in February. The film has Mohanlal, Shraddha Srinath, Ramachandra Raju, Siddique, Sijayaraghavan, Saikumar and Nedumudi Venu.
The story is set in a village called Muthalakotta, where people are financially recovering from the 2018 floods. However, after the government’s new mandate, Edathala Mathai leases his land to Gopan so that he can stop the conversion of his plot into farmland. While the locals initially opposed Gopan and his motive, he eventually manages to win them over.
‘Aaraattu’ is a Malayalam action film directed by B Unnikrishnan. Made at a budget of approximately Rs 25 crore, ‘Aaraattu’ managed to garner only Rs 20 crore at the box office after it was released ..
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Released in March, ‘Hey Sinamika’ is a Tamil romantic comedy film directed by Brinda. This film is a remake of the 2008 Argentine film ‘A Boyfriend For My Wife’. ‘Hey Sinamika’ was made on an estimated budget of Rs 15 crore, but it only managed to earn Rs 5 crore at the box office.
The film follows the story of Mouna and Yaazhan who fall in love and get married, but their marital bliss is short-lived. Mouna wishes to separate. In order to end the marriage, Mouna devises a plan to make Yaazhan fall in love with another woman, only to realise that her husband really loves her.
The film follows the story of Mouna and Yaazhan who fall in love and get married, but their marital bliss is short-lived. Mouna wishes to separate. In order to end the marriage, Mouna devises a plan to make Yaazhan fall in love with another woman, only to realise that her husband really loves her.
Released in March, ‘Hey Sinamika’ is a Tamil romantic comedy film directed by Brinda. This film is a remake of the 2008 Argentine film ‘A Boyfriend For My Wife’. ‘Hey Sinamika’ was made on an estimat..
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