The first 25 years in this century has seen some amazing films and blockbusters in Hollywood. Girish Wankhede lists the top-grossing Hollywood movies from 2001 to 2025, focusing on the key qualities that resonated with Indian audiences and contributed to its appeal.
The industry is anticipating 2025 to deliver around Rs 13,500 crore in overall box-office collections, which would cement it as India's strongest box-office year after 2023
'Established filmmakers want to go with the sequels of earlier hit films like Housefull 5 or Mastiii 4. They don't want to come up with fresh ideas. This is pure laziness.'
This is also the time when South Indian films started doing well, commercially and critically, on a Pan-India scale.
Trade analyst Girish Wankhede puts together a curated list of the 25 biggest hits in the first 25 years of the century.
'Audiences are loyal to good content.'
'Gujarati films are crossing the Rs 100 crore mark, Lokah Chapter 1: Chandra has surged past Rs 300 crore, Marathi film Dashaavtar has already topped Rs 50 crore and Tamil blockbuster Coolie has raked in over Rs 250 crore.' 'These successes show that regional cinema is no longer niche.'
'A 100% tariff could cut the Indian film industry's US revenues by 30% to 40%.'
'It's heartening to see that the festive energy is being driven not only by star-led blockbusters but also by fresh, content-rich films.'
Over-the-top platforms make it difficult for movies to run for long periods on the silver screen, thus hurting the cinema industry.
'We're witnessing a consistent surge in audience demand for IMAX screenings, particularly for high-octane, spectacle-driven films.'
'Ahaan Panday and Aneet Padda have captured the relevance to and imagination of Gen Z and millennial viewers.'
'Gen Z was devoid of love stories with sad endings like Heer Ranjha, Laila Majnu or Romeo Juliet; they have never seen something like this in their lifetime.' 'Saiyaara is a rooted love story.'
'One of the most significant factors contributing to the optimism for 2025 is the lineup of films featuring Bollywood's three superstar Khans.'
Analysts estimate that Pushpa 2 (in all languages) will become the fastest film to cross the Rs 1,000 crore (Rs 10 billion) mark.
Ashutosh Goiwariker decided to make the film a little shorter after movie goers and critics complained that the film was too long.
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