Bollywood's 100 crore movies in FY15-16 Text: Smita Sinha, Economictimes. Reaching the Rs 100 crore mark has become a benchmark for every Bollywood movie. How did Rs 100 crore come to define box office success? In the good old days of the Bollywood business, the pinnacle of box office glory was the diamond jubilee, industry lexicon for a movie that played for 75 weeks at the theatres. Today, the diamond jubilee is about as ancient as the era of silent movies. Producers will be mighty pleased if their films survive a second week at the theatres. What's the big deal with a Rs 100-crore movie? The question would be rhetorical only if the stakeholders in Bollywood who took this level of earnings seriously were a minority. But Rs 100 crore in net collections — calculated after deducting entertainment tax of up to 35% varies from state to state from gross collections — has become the new gold standard of box office performance. Understanding this speed of collections would also offer a glimpse into how the Hindi movie business has changed over the years. The Rs 100-crore collection is essentially a cocktail of a steady increase in ticket prices an average rise of Rs 10 every six months , the number of theatres and the number of prints. Salman Khan's Bajrangi Bhaijaan ruled the roost in 2015 but there were a couple of surprise successes in the form of the woman-centric Tanu Weds Manu Returns and dance musical ABCD 2. We take a look at some of the biggest Bollywood hits that have reached the Rs 100 crore: Airlift The latest film to make it to the exclusive 100 crore club is Akshay Kumar, Nimrat Kaur starrer Airlift, the film has collected Rs 127. Directed by Raja Krishna Menon, 'Airlift', which released on January 22, minted Rs 19. The film is about how the Indian government evacuated 1. Bajrangi Bhaijaan The Kabir Khan-directed film is the biggest hit of 2015. The movie collected Rs 320. Salman Khan and Kareena Kapoor starrer Bajrangi Bhaijaan, recorded the second-highest opening weekend collection with Rs 102. The movie was released ahead Of Eid last year on July 17, 2015. The Kabir Khan directed flim, co-produced by Salman Khan Films SKF with Rockline Venkatesh, is about the bond shared by a Pakistani mute girl, essayed by young and beautiful child artist Harshaali Malhotra, and an Indian man. Bajirao Mastani Sanjay Leela Bhansali-directed Bajirao Mastani, one of the most talked about movies of 2015, has mopped up Rs 301 crore worldwide since its release on December 18,2015. The film, starring Ranveer Singh, Deepika Padukone and Priyanka Chopra in lead roles, had a gross collection of Rs 211 crore in India net box office collection of Rs 162. The movie production and distribution company claimed the movie was the third highest grosser of 2015. The film, produced by Bhansali, narrates the story of Maratha warrior Peshwa Bajirao I and his second wife Mastani. Prem Ratan Dhan Payo Sooraj Barjatya's family drama Prem Ratan Dhan Payo also entered the 100 crore club. The film that stars Salman Khan in a double role along with Sonam Kapoor collected a net total of Rs 210 crore in a span of mere 3 days. The movie registered the highest opening weekend collection of the year with Rs 129. Tanu Weds Manu Returns Kangana Ranaut and R Madhavan starrer Rs 30 crore budget film Tanu Weds Manu Returns ended up earning Rs 152 crore in 11 days, making it the first woman-centric film to cross the Rs 100 crore mark. The movie, a sequel to 2011 rom-com had Kangana in a double role - a rebellious Tanuja and a young Haryanvi college student Datto. Dilwale Despite mixed reviews, Rohit Shetty-directed Dilwale emerged as one of the biggest hit of 2015. It earned Rs 148. The iconic Shah Rukh Khan-Kajol pair, together with the buzz and anticipation helped it achieve the third-highest opening weekend collections of the year with Rs 65. All figures sourced from movie website koimoi.
