Nolan ka Dhamaal

The good, the bad and the ugly have brought in numbers

Meena Iyer

Art and life sometimes do ditto; that is how you can describe the current state at the Indian box office. Quite like the abundant downpour in many parts of the country this monsoon, the Indian box office is also witnessing surge collections. Movies—both, ridiculous and sublime, have brought in numbers in the first six and a half months of 2026.

Please value, The Odyssey

While Christopher Nolan’s elitist entertainment, The Odyssey has done a business of `62.34 cr in 3 days, at the Indian box office, the plebeian picture, Dhamaal 4, has also brought in around `122.39 cr in 10 days. But comparing The Odyssey’s collection of 3 days to the 10-days collection of Dhamaal 4, is lopsided math. Nolan’s cinema is made for a global audience and it has got a worldwide collection of $264 million (approximately) so far, which is mammoth compared to our desi film collections. Still, we must grant it to a D4! This, laugh-out-loud, fourth instalment of the Dhamaal franchise has found an audience, with the most faithful coming in from Maharashtra and Gujarat.

Most valuable lesson from Nolan

Here we are only providing the Indian exhibition perspective. Going forward our strong suit for the exhibition sector will be premium formats. IMAX, ICE, 4DX, ScreenX, P(XL) and such other distinct, premium formats are important to screen tentpole Hollywood films. We are hopeful SS Rajamouli and the likes of him, will also become as ambitious as Nolan and shoot films entirely in the IMAX format.

Horror brings a smile

The good news is that there is more to report. The American, supernatural-horror flick, Evil Dead Burn has also brought a smile to the “stiff” upper lip of distributors and exhibitors, by notching up an approximate `26.41 cr in 10 days. This is enviable and just opens the door for more horror.

The budget massacred Alpha

Ironical it is that the makers of Alpha released a dance number called Massacre with Alia Bhatt and Sharvari. And, almost further massacred the collection of this action-drama. The film’s tally now stands at `56.72 cr in 17 days and it has been labelled a flop. Of course, Alpha earned another `28 cr in the international market. So, it’s not a washout. What has gone against this film is the costing. As reported earlier Alia and the international action-choreographer, Craig Macrae (who charges anything between `5 to 10 lakhs a day) took home handsome payouts; this pushed the budget up further.

Some films held on for a bit

Huma Qureshi’s Baby Do Die Do breathed its last at `5.81 cr.  And, Akshay Kumar led, Welcome to the Jungle (that suffered in rural India because audiences there thought of it as an English film) still managed something near `129 cr.

M for money

English films, Moana (`5.71 cr) and Minions and Monsters (`12.53 cr) also kept the money trickling in.

Mr Dependables, Akshay and Ajay

So, there are those superstars like Aamir Khan (Dangal), Shah Rukh Khan (Jawan, Pathaan), Salman Khan (Bajrangi Bhaijaan), Ranveer Singh (Dhurandhar duology), Vicky Kaushal (Chhaava) and Ranbir Kapoor (Sanju, Animal) doing the prodigy stuff like teen-cricketing sensation, Vaibhav Sooryavanshi, who warmed our hearts by by hitting the ball majorly outside the park in the recent IPL season. And, then are the dependable superstars Akshay Kumar and Ajay Devgn, who keep consistently scoring at the box office. In the first six and a half months of 2026 itself, Akshay has had high-scorers like Bhooth Bangla and Welcome to the Jungle. And, Ajay’s post-Pandemic score is terrific. This Bollywood superstar has given us solid hits like Drishyam 2 (2022), Shaitaan (2024), Singham Again (2024) and Dhamaal 4. The method in the madness of Ajay and Akshay is also needed to keep the box office ticking. 

Bad news; painful reminders of 2026

Movies like Assi, Aakhri Sawaal, Bandar, Bharat Bhhagya Viddhaata, Daadi Ki Shaadi, Ek Din, Governor, Ginny Wedss Sunny 2, Happy Patel: Khatarnak Jasoos, Rahu Ketu and Vadh 2 spelt bad news in the first six months of the year. That’s why the few hits that came more recently are of that much more value.

Disclaimer: (FPJ has referred to leading trade portals and its own reliable trade sources for the box-office figures mentioned above. We maintain that these are authentic, estimated figures, collected without bias. FPJ leaves a margin for correction because off late, Bollywood cinema collections have reportedly become “ambiguous”. Filmmakers/ exhibitors/ distributors reportedly depend on corporate bookings, their own “ticket-purchases” and augmented sales through paid mediums. All collections are India nett in INR. Only in the case of The Odyssey, some USD figures (gross) are mentioned.)