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These are strange times at the box office.
Bollywood's biggest films don't seem to be working, including the backlog of releases from before the pandemic.
Even a mighty production house like Yash Raj Films has not been spared, as the collections are just not coming in for their films.
While their last blockbuster Tiger Zinda Hai, which released in December 2017, had done fantastic business of Rs 339.25 crore (Rs 3.3925 billion), their only success from 2018 till date has been War.
All eyes are now on their 10th film in five years, Ranbir Kapoor's Shamshera.
A look at how films under the YRF banner have fared in the last five years.
Hichki (2018)
Box office collection: Rs 46 crore (Rs 460 million)
Verdict: Hit
YRF's first release in 2018, Hichki featured Rani Mukerji, YRF Boss Aditya Chopra's wife.
Rani performed a tricky role perfectly, and the social comedy worked well with the class audiences.
Made at a modest budget, it did satisfactory business at the multiplexes.
Sui Dhaaga: Made In India (2018)
Box office collection: Rs 79.10 crore (Rs 791 million)
Verdict: Semi-Hit
Varun Dhawan has experimented a few times in his career, be it Badlapur or October.
But his biggest box office grosser in a truly unique role has been Sui Dhaaga: Made In India.
Playing a tailor with Anushka Sharma as his wife, he aced the character of a lower middle class man, who lived on the outskirts of Delhi.
Thugs of Hindostan (2018)
Box office collection: Rs 145.29 crore (Rs 1.4529 billion)
Verdict: Disaster
One of their most ambitious films ever, YRF mounted Thugs of Hindostan on a huge scale and brought in a top ensemble of Aamir Khan, Katrina Kaif and Amitabh Bachchan.
The Diwali release took a record opening of Rs 50.75 crore (Rs 50.7.5 million) and then crashed so quickly that it failed to even triple the first day business.
Director Vijay Krishna Acharya delivered a major disaster.
War (2019)
Box office collection: Rs 318 crore (Rs 3.18 billion)
Verdict: Blockbuster
YRF recovered almost immediately, as their next release was the Hrithik Roshan and Tiger Shroff starrer War, which set a new opening day record of Rs 51.60 crore (Rs 516 million).
The collections continued to stay strong and the film ended up entering the Rs 300 Crore Club.
This Siddharth Anand film was a pure blockbuster.
Mardaani 2 (2019)
Box office collection: Rs 47.57 crore (Rs 475.7 million)
Verdict: Semi-Hit
Rani Mukerji scored another success in the form of Mardaani 2.
While the first in the series had collected Rs 35.82 crore (Rs 358.2 million), this one went even higher.
The success of the film, where Rani plays a cop, has ensured that the franchise may live on to produce a third part.
Sandeep Aur Pinky Faraar (2021)
Box office collection: Rs 0.35 crore (Rs 3.5 million)
Verdict: Disaster
Though it was a well made film, it was surprising that YRF did not release it before the pandemic even though it was ready.
It finally released in 2021 at a time when audiences had stopped going to the theatres.
Arjun Kapoor and Parineeti Chopra can take solace from the fact though that the film did well on OTT.
Bunty Aur Babli 2 (2021
Box office collection: Rs 12.50 crore (Rs 125 million)
Verdict: Disaster
Unlike Sandeep Aur Pinky Faraar which got cold treatment, Bunty Aur Babli 2 got a better release.
The film arrived during Diwali, albeit when theatres had 50 percent occupancy.
By this time audiences had started getting selective and begun to differentiate a theatre film from an OTT one. This one found itself categorised as the latter, and was ignored.
Jayeshbhai Jordaar (2022)
Box office collection: Rs 15.59 crore (Rs 155.9 million)
Verdict: Disaster
Jayeshbhai Jordaar is Ranveer Singh's lowest grosser till date.
Even his debut film Band Baaja Baaraat in 2010 had brought in Rs 23.16 crore (Rs 231.6 million) and had emerged as a success.
Samrat Prithviraj (2022)
Box office collection: Rs 70 crore (Rs 700 million; expected lifetime)
Verdict: Disaster
After Thugs of Hindostan and War, the latest event film from YRF is Samrat Prithviraj.
Unfortunately, the film has done very poor business at the box office with Rs 60 crore (Rs 600 million) been collected so far and the best case lifetime looking like Rs 70 crore.
The Akshay Kumar starrer was announced back in 2018 and while it was supposed to have a 2020 release, COVID played spoilsport and made the film look dated.
