Highlights
- Golmaal Again and Stree are the highest-grossing Bollywood horror comedies
- Horror comedy is a relatively newer and underutilised genre in Bollywood
- Phone Bhoot and Bhediya are the upcoming films in the genre that will be highly anticipated by fans
After a string of misses at the box office post-pandemic, Kartik Aaryan's Bhool Bhulaiyaa 2 has turned out to be a real game-changer for the struggling Hindi film industry. In getting back the family audiences to the cinema halls, the movie is infusing a much-needed boost in the business market. It has managed to earn Rs 76.27 crore in five days since its release and will be clearing the Rs 100 crore mark by the second weekend, as per trade prediction.
Bhool Bhulaiyaa 2 lures with horror-comedy
Horror-comedy has remained a largely underutilised genre in Bollywood. At the same time, it has shown immense potential when it comes to drawing back the audiences to the theatres. Movies like Stree, Golmaal Again, Phillauri, Go Goa Gone and Bhool Bhuliayaa have proved that if done correctly, the genre has immense potential. Humour blended with spooky tricks brings together two of the most popular film genres and comes with the promise of entertainment. In Bhool Bhuliayaa 2, Kartik, Kiara Advani and Tabu have done the trick when it comes to delivering the right amount of fun and fright.
Bhool Bhuliayaa 2: The highest-grossing film of Kartik's career?
Going by the current trend, Bhool Bhuliayaa 2 may soon surpass all of Kartik's films to become his highest-grosser since the debut release Pyaar Ka Punchnama in 2011. Right now, the maximum collections are of Sonu Ke Titu Ki Sweety (2018), standing at Rs 108.95 crore, which is also the only Kartik film that has surpassed the Rs 100 crore mark at the box office.
How have other HIT horror-comedies performed at the box office?
Bhool Bhulaiyaa 2 will be vying to become the highest-grossing film in the genre that has come out of Bollywood until now. It is important to note that horror comedies are a relatively new genre and not many attempts at it have been made. Some have also failed miserably at the box office but nevertheless, filmmakers and audience continue to show faith in them.
Roohi (2021)
Total BO business: 31.45 crore (worldwide)
Golmaal Again (2017)
Total BO business: 311.04 crore (worldwide)
Stree (2018)
Total BO business: 171.68 crore (worldwide)
Go Goa Gone (2013)
Total BO business: 38.42 crore (worldwide)
Bhool Bhulaiyaa (2007)
Total BO business: 82.83 crore (worldwide)
Bhoothnath (2008)
Total BO business: 38.79 crore (worldwide)
Bhoothnath Returns (2014)
Total BO business: 51.08 crore (worldwide)
Upcoming Bollywood horror-comedies
Katrina Kaif, Ishaan Khatter and Siddhant Chaturvedi feature in Phone Bhoot and Varun Dhawan and Kriti Sanon star in Bhediya. Both these movies have a lot of anticipation riding on them.