Let’s take a lookback at the films that failed at the box office this year despite having all the ingredients of being a hit. The list includes Indian 2, Maidaan, Bade Miyan Chote Miyan, and other
Picture courtesy: Pooja Entertainment; Lyca Studios; Zee Studios
Indian audience witnessed several flops in 2024, out of which some of them were expected to be a success. The audience preferred content-driven movies and anticipated sequels with decent word of mouth, more than big commercial entertainers featuring megastars and superstars this year. While horror genre dominated the entire year, actioners like Indian 2, Bade Miyan Chote Miyan, Vettaiyan, and Kanguva, along with biographical films such as Maidaan couldn’t lure the cine-goers.
Let’s take a look at highly anticipated films of 2024 that were unexpected failures.
Indian 2
Bankrolled by Lyca Productions and Red Giant Movies, Indian 2 was theatrically released on July 12, 2024. The vigilante action film was a sequel to the 1996 all time blockbuster, Indian. Kamal Haasan reprised his role as Senapathy, an aging freedom fighter turned vigilante who fights against corruption. The sequel had high expectations as the original film was selected as India’s official entry to the Oscars back then. Considering its hype, the 2024 disaster should have been a hit. Even Haasan’s screen presence surprisingly couldn’t help the movie float, as it started to sink as soon as the negative audience word of mouth started to spread. The big budget actioner ended its run in the vicinity of Rs 150 crore worldwide and the part 3, despite being more or less complete, may not see a theatrical release.
Maidaan
Maidaan featured Ajay Devgn as Syed Abdul Rahim, a late football coach who contributed to India’s national team. Presented by Boney Kapoor and Zee Studios, the biographical sports drama film was released on April 11, 2024, coinciding with Eid. Going by Ajay Devgn’s highest grossing films in the past such as Tanhaji: The Unsung Warrior, Drishyam 2, and Golmaal Again, the audience had a lot of expectations from Maidaan becoming a hit. However, it emerged as a disaster at the box office. The movie managed to gross just Rs 72 crore in its full run, against a budget of over Rs 200 crore. More than the clash with Bade Miyan Chote Miyan, the disaster result can be attributed to the movie’s constant delays.
Bade Miyan Chote Miyan
Directed by Ali Abbas Zafar, Bade Miyan Chote Miyan was a big failure despite having Akshay Kumar as one of the leads. Also starring Tiger Shroff, the 2024 release emerged as a disaster at the box office. Made on a lavish budget, the science fiction action film couldn’t pull crowd in theaters due to less excitement among fans and poor marketing by the makers. The Rs 350 crore budgeted actioner managed to gross just over Rs 100 crore worldwide in its full run.
Vettaiyan
Starring Rajinikanth, Vettaiyan hit the screens on October 10, 2024. The Tamil action drama film also featured Amitabh Bachchan, Fahadh Faasil, Rana Daggubati. After Jailer’s success, Rajinkanth was expected to pull off another hit. However, the 2024 release struggled after a good first weekend. The film grossed Rs 240 crore worldwide, a number significantly lower than a conventional Rajinikanth film.
Kanguva
Helmed by Siva, Kanguva was headlined by Suriya in dual roles. He played two characters, Kanguva and Francis Theodore in the mystical action-drama film. The weak storyline and loud characters of the Suriya-starrer were some of the reasons that made it a disaster of 2024. It could not manage to gross even Rs 100 crore worldwide, while the industry expected it to be one of the biggest hits. The film currently holds the record for the greatest loss ever made on an Indian movie, a tag that no movie would want.
