'Dhurandhar', 'Kantara: Chapter 1', 'Mahavatar Narsimha': How these 2025 films become true theatrical events and crossed the Rs 300 crore mark
The year 2025 saw multiple superhits on the big screens and only superhits, but to call some films superhits would be an understatement as these films not only became popular in masses, but they left the theatres minting huge numbers. From a period drama film to a fantasy mythological drama, a musical romance drama or an animated film, they went on to cross the huge mark of Rs 300 crore at the box office. A year wraps up, let’s discuss these films and take a moment to understand what makes a film a Rs 300 crore hit in 2025?
‘Dhurandhar’First of all, let’s talk about the recent blockbuster, the Ranveer Singh starrer, ‘Dhurandhar’. Directed by Aditya Dhar, the movie features a star-studded cast that includes Akshaye Khanna, Sanjay Dutt, R Madhavan, and Arjun Rampal. It tells the story of a spy infiltrating Pakistan's terror networks. The film, which was released on December 5th, in 18 days has collected over Rs 572.25 crore in India and Rs 876.50 crore worldwide, which just shows how the film has become a “theatrical event”.
The movie shows the spy Hamza’s high-stakes mission to dismantle gangster Rehman Dakait’s arm and terror empire in Lyari, where he infiltrates and indulges in some gruesome and brutal action. It includes some high-intensity strategy moments, character arc, and keeping viewers on their seats. The film also received a strong word of mouth and social media buzz, where it was praised for its mass appeal and realism. Not only that, but a strong direction and screen presence of the actors espcially Ranveer Singh and Akshaye Khanna, has added a boost to its performance with casual moviegoers wanting to experience the saga on the big screens. The film’s trailer and teaser release also created an initial buzz around the project, making it highly anticipated by fans.
‘Kantara: Chapter 1’Just a few months ago, in October, Rishab Shetty’s directorial and written film, ‘Kantara: Chapter 1’ showed how a story rooted to the soil can be a global hit. After the massive success of its prequel, the makers went on to serve fans with a bigger budget and grand filmmaking. The film had some jaw-dropping action, haunting scores, it also gave a closer look at the Boota Kola rituals and chilling climax. The film collected over Rs 622.43 crore in India and Rs 852.31 crore worldwide. Credit also goes to the first part of the franchise and the film’s success increased its anticipation, fostering a nationwide renaissance and discussions on heritage.
‘Saiyaara’Interestingly, if one might mention to you that a movie which is a romantic drama musical and also serves as a launching pad for the actor, one might not expect it to be a blockbuster in today’s time, when mass action and grand films are the ones that fill the theatres. However, Mohit Suri directorial, starring debutants Ahaan Panday and Aneet Padda starrer ‘Saiyaara’ became a national phenomenon upon its release. The movie became one of the highest-grossing Hindi films, minting Rs 329.2 crore in India and Rs 569.75 crore worldwide, making it one of the biggest romance drama films. The movie showed the male lead as an intense and vulnerable hero, making him popular among the masses. The film’s impact and soul-stirring soundtracks made it a piece to be enjoyed in theatres. It also got super famous among the Gen Z audience, leading the lines in theatres.
‘Coolie’ and ‘War 2’Speaking of the hits from the Indepence Day, Superstar Rajinikanth’s ‘Coolie’ and Hrithik Roshan and Jr NTR’s ‘War 2’ were released on the same day. Both the films were released with huge anticipation, ‘Coolie’ being directed by ace filmmaker Lokesh Kanagaraj and starring Rajinikanth sharing screen with other huge stars, including Nagarjuna, Upendra Rao, Aamir Khan, in itself was a massive crowd puller, given the film was already riding on the “Rajini-Effect”. The gangster action drama collected over Rs 285.01 crore in India and 518 crore worldwide. While the spy action thriller ‘War 2’ was called an “underperformer” by some due to its massive budet it also crossed the Rs 300 crore mark, making Rs 364.35 crore worldwide. Kudos to the film’s marketing as well as makers shared some remarkable posts from Hrithik Roshan and Jr NTR before its release, generating curiosity among fans. The clash between the two also became a big selling point of the film and one must mention the film’s prequel and the Spyverse also helped it.
‘Mahavatar Narsimha’Lastly, one of the biggest films of 2025, the Kannada animated movie ‘Mahavatar Narsimha’ turned out to be a dark horse. The mythological film, with its high-quality VFX, earned over Rs 325.74 crore worldwide. It gained a massive increase in its box office collection mainly due to a strong word of mouth, as it started on a lower note but then went on to collect big numbers gradually. Its multiple languages and a pan-India release also contributed to its numbers.
With high-quality OTT now just some clicks away, makers need to make content that makes the audience step into theatres for the experience they simply can not recreate at home. It can also be mentioned that the divide between “Bollywood” and “Regional cinema” cannot be seen as dubbed movies for pan-India release can do huge business. One can also say, give the audience something worth cheering for and they will turn it into a blockbuster.
‘Dhurandhar’First of all, let’s talk about the recent blockbuster, the Ranveer Singh starrer, ‘Dhurandhar’. Directed by Aditya Dhar, the movie features a star-studded cast that includes Akshaye Khanna, Sanjay Dutt, R Madhavan, and Arjun Rampal. It tells the story of a spy infiltrating Pakistan's terror networks. The film, which was released on December 5th, in 18 days has collected over Rs 572.25 crore in India and Rs 876.50 crore worldwide, which just shows how the film has become a “theatrical event”.
The movie shows the spy Hamza’s high-stakes mission to dismantle gangster Rehman Dakait’s arm and terror empire in Lyari, where he infiltrates and indulges in some gruesome and brutal action. It includes some high-intensity strategy moments, character arc, and keeping viewers on their seats. The film also received a strong word of mouth and social media buzz, where it was praised for its mass appeal and realism. Not only that, but a strong direction and screen presence of the actors espcially Ranveer Singh and Akshaye Khanna, has added a boost to its performance with casual moviegoers wanting to experience the saga on the big screens. The film’s trailer and teaser release also created an initial buzz around the project, making it highly anticipated by fans.
‘Kantara: Chapter 1’Just a few months ago, in October, Rishab Shetty’s directorial and written film, ‘Kantara: Chapter 1’ showed how a story rooted to the soil can be a global hit. After the massive success of its prequel, the makers went on to serve fans with a bigger budget and grand filmmaking. The film had some jaw-dropping action, haunting scores, it also gave a closer look at the Boota Kola rituals and chilling climax. The film collected over Rs 622.43 crore in India and Rs 852.31 crore worldwide. Credit also goes to the first part of the franchise and the film’s success increased its anticipation, fostering a nationwide renaissance and discussions on heritage.
‘Saiyaara’Interestingly, if one might mention to you that a movie which is a romantic drama musical and also serves as a launching pad for the actor, one might not expect it to be a blockbuster in today’s time, when mass action and grand films are the ones that fill the theatres. However, Mohit Suri directorial, starring debutants Ahaan Panday and Aneet Padda starrer ‘Saiyaara’ became a national phenomenon upon its release. The movie became one of the highest-grossing Hindi films, minting Rs 329.2 crore in India and Rs 569.75 crore worldwide, making it one of the biggest romance drama films. The movie showed the male lead as an intense and vulnerable hero, making him popular among the masses. The film’s impact and soul-stirring soundtracks made it a piece to be enjoyed in theatres. It also got super famous among the Gen Z audience, leading the lines in theatres.
‘Coolie’ and ‘War 2’Speaking of the hits from the Indepence Day, Superstar Rajinikanth’s ‘Coolie’ and Hrithik Roshan and Jr NTR’s ‘War 2’ were released on the same day. Both the films were released with huge anticipation, ‘Coolie’ being directed by ace filmmaker Lokesh Kanagaraj and starring Rajinikanth sharing screen with other huge stars, including Nagarjuna, Upendra Rao, Aamir Khan, in itself was a massive crowd puller, given the film was already riding on the “Rajini-Effect”. The gangster action drama collected over Rs 285.01 crore in India and 518 crore worldwide. While the spy action thriller ‘War 2’ was called an “underperformer” by some due to its massive budet it also crossed the Rs 300 crore mark, making Rs 364.35 crore worldwide. Kudos to the film’s marketing as well as makers shared some remarkable posts from Hrithik Roshan and Jr NTR before its release, generating curiosity among fans. The clash between the two also became a big selling point of the film and one must mention the film’s prequel and the Spyverse also helped it.
‘Mahavatar Narsimha’Lastly, one of the biggest films of 2025, the Kannada animated movie ‘Mahavatar Narsimha’ turned out to be a dark horse. The mythological film, with its high-quality VFX, earned over Rs 325.74 crore worldwide. It gained a massive increase in its box office collection mainly due to a strong word of mouth, as it started on a lower note but then went on to collect big numbers gradually. Its multiple languages and a pan-India release also contributed to its numbers.
With high-quality OTT now just some clicks away, makers need to make content that makes the audience step into theatres for the experience they simply can not recreate at home. It can also be mentioned that the divide between “Bollywood” and “Regional cinema” cannot be seen as dubbed movies for pan-India release can do huge business. One can also say, give the audience something worth cheering for and they will turn it into a blockbuster.
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