Diwali 2024: Ahead of Singham Again and Bhool Bhulaiyaa 3 release, looking at box office performance of past festive releases

Diwali releases over the years

Diwali, the festival of lights, has been an important festival for Bollywood always. Filmmakers aim to block dates for their films during the festive period with the sole purpose of entertaining the family audience with fun, light-hearted and engaging stories. The biggest Diwali releases this year are Rohit Shetty's Singham Again and Anees Bazmee's Bhool Bhulaiyaa 3. Both are part of successful film franchise and among the most anticipated films.

Ahead of the Diwali 2024 releases, here's looking back at the Hindi films that released on the festival over the years and how well did they fare at the box office. From Son Of Sardaar in 2012, Prem Ratan Dhan Payo in 2015 to Tiger 3 in 2023, we tracked the performances of these festive releases.

Diwali and Bollywood box office

2012

Jab Tak Hai Jaan

Shah Rukh Khan, Anushka Sharma and Katrina Kaif's Jab Tak Hai Jaan was Yash Chopra's final directorial. The Bollywood drama opened to positive reviews. At the box office, the film was declared a superhit with a collection of Rs. 120.65 crores.

Son Of Sardaar

Ajay Devgn and Sonakshi Sinha's Son Of Sardaar clashed with Jab Tak Hai Jaan. Despite the clash, the comedy film was a hit at the box office as it collected Rs. 105.03 crores.

2013

Krrish 3

Hrithik Roshan and Priyanka Chopra's Krrish 3 was the biggest Diwali release in 2013. The superhero franchise, owing to its massive fan following, set the cash counters ringing. The film made Rs. 240 crores at the box office.

2014

Happy New Year

Shah Rukh Khan, Deepika Padukone, Abhishek Bachchan, Boman Irani and Vivaan Shah's Happy New Year was a major Diwali release in 2014. The hype around the film made it a successful venture despite mixed reviews. The Farah Khan directorial earned Rs. 203 crores.

2015

Prem Ratan Dhan Payo

Salman Khan, Sonam Kapoor and Sooraj Barjatya brought a perfect family entertainer on Diwali in 2015 with Prem Ratan Dhan Payo. The film reunited the iconic Hum Aapke Hai Koun duo and collected Rs. 207.4 crores at the box office.

2016

Shivaay

Ajay Devgn's directorial debut Shivaay received a mixed response from the critics as well as the audience. Despite enough buzz and anticipation, the film was declared an average at the box office with a collection of Rs. 100.35 crores.

Ae Dil Hai Mushkil

Ranbir Kapoor, Anushka Sharma and Aishwarya Rai Bachchan's Ae Dil Hai Mushkil was one of the most talked about films in 2016. With a Diwali release, the romantic drama directed by Karan Johar earned Rs. 112.5 crores at the box office.

2017

Golmaal Again

Rohit Shetty cast his magic at the box office with Ajay Devgn, Tabu, Parineeti Chopra, Arshad Warsi, Tusshar Kapoor, Shreyas Talpade and Kunal Kemmu's Golmaal Again. The horror-comedy was a success at the box office as it collected Rs. 205.72 crores.

Secret Superstar

Despite a clash with Golmaal Again, Zaira Wasim's inspirational Secret Superstar held its ground at the box office. With positive reviews and good word of mouth, the film collected Rs. 62 crores.

2019

Housefull 4

Akshay Kumar, Kriti Sanon, Riteish Deshmukh, Pooja Hegde, Bobby Deol, Kriti Kharbanda, Chunky Panday and Rana Daggubati's Housefull 4 dominated the box office on Diwali 2019. The comedy film collected Rs. 206 crores.

2021

Sooryavanshi

Akshay Kumar and Rohit Shetty reopened theatres post the COVID-19 pandemic with Sooryavanshi on Diwali 2021. Despite multiple safety regulations and guidelines, the cop thriller collected Rs. 195.04 crores.

2022

Ram Setu

Akshay Kumar, Nushrratt Bharuccha and Jacqueline Fernandez's Ram Setu was low on buzz. In spite of being a Diwali release, it failed to draw an audience to theatres with family. The film collected around Rs. 90 crores globally.

Thank God

Ajay Devgn, Sidharth Malhotra and Rakul Preet Singh's Thank God fared better than Ram Setu at the box office but the report wasn't great either. The film directed by Indra Kumar collected approximately Rs. 98 crores.

2023

Tiger 3

Salman Khan and Katrina Kaif returned for their popular spy drama franchise. The film however, did not live up to the expectations despite a cameo by Shah Rukh Khan as Pathaan. While the film had a grand opening of Rs 44.50 cr on opening day, the lifetime collection stands at Rs 285 cr.