Krrish 3 likely to become the top grosser in Bollywood.
By Deepak Chitnis
WASHINGTON, DC: Bollywood’s superhero extravaganza Krrish 3 continues to smash box office records since its opening worldwide on November 1.
The Hrithik Roshan-starrer has become the third Bollywood film in history to gross 200 crore rupees, following on the heels of 2009’s 3 Idiots and this year’s Chennai Express. And because Krrish 3 has reached that benchmark even faster than its two predecessors, many box-office analysts are predicting that the film could end its theatrical run as the first or second highest-grossing Bollywood film of all-time.
Krrish 3’s success is indicative of a trend that seems to have taken over Bollywood in the past several years: more and more, the industry is turning away from the romantic melodramas of yesteryears and focusing on lucrative action and superhero franchises.
That business model isn’t exactly unprecedented.
Hollywood has been making superhero films for decades now, but it wasn’t until 2000 that it became a legitimate genre of its own with the release of X-Men. Since then, American comic-book and franchise movies have dominated the box-office charts throughout the world, proving that although they can cost a lot, you’re almost guaranteed to get a sizeable return on your investment.
A quick look at the top 10 highest-grossing Hollywood films of all-time (unadjusted for inflation) shows that three of them are superhero epics: 2012’s The Avengers at #3, 2013’s Iron Man 3 at #5, and 2012’s The Dark Knight Rises at #9. A further five more are franchise films (sequels, adaptations, etc.): 2011’s Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows, Part 2 at #4, 2011’s Transformers: Dark of the Moon at #6, 2003’s The Lord of the Rings: The Return of the King at #7, 2012’s Skyfall at #8, and 2006’s Pirates of the Caribbean: Dead Man’s Chest at #10.
Only two films – the top two, as it should be pointed out – don’t belong to franchises: 2009’s Avatar and 1997’s Titanic. The former, however, is meant to be the opening film in a series, with the next installment due out by 2016.
Now Bollywood has caught the same bug. There’s been a surge in action and superhero films in India recently, and the top 10 highest-grossing Bollywood films (also unadjusted for inflation) are also largely dominated by action films and sequels. Two films are sequels (2012’s Dabangg 2 and 2011’s Don 2), six are action films (2012’s Ek Tha Tiger and Dabangg 2, 2011’s Bodyguard, Don 2, and Ra.One, and 2010’s Dabangg), and one is a superhero (Ra.One), although now that Krrish 3 has entered the ranks, Ra.One will be knocked off the list.
Only four of the top 10 Bollywood films are traditional romantic melodramas – Chennai Express, 3 Idiots, 2013’s Yeh Jawaani Hai Deewani and 2012’s Jab Tak Hai Jaan.
This doesn’t mean that Bollywood will abandon its bread and butter any time soon – one of the year’s most anticipated films, Sanjay Leela Bhansali’s romantic epic Ram-Leela, is set to open this Friday and put a serious dent in Krrish 3’s earnings – but the movement towards more modern action fare is unmistakable.
The reasons for this are numerous: action movies are more accessible for non-Indian audiences, they’re more appealing to the younger viewers who visit cinemas the most often, and the fact that they’re larger-scale movies means more people are willing to see them on the big screen rather than wait for DVD or cable.
The success of Krrish 3 already has its producer/director, Rakesh Roshan, mulling over ideas for a potential fourth installment. Akshay Kumar has turned his 2010 Housefull film into a franchise, Salman Khan is planning a third film in his Dabangg franchise, and Shahrukh Khan has stated his desire to make a second Don sequel.
Even older films, like 1990’s Aashiqui, got a sequel-cum-remake earlier this year that grossed over 100 crore rupees off a budget of 9 crore. It just goes to show that the times in Bollywood are changing for the foreseeable future.
To contact the author, email to deepakchitnis@americanbazaaronline.com