And the first quarter of 2018 ends on a buoyant note for the Bollywood box office! A welcome relief from the bad fortunes of the year gone by, which had been an exceptionally dry one. Weak scripts, superstar-driven ‘blockbusters’ that crashed, bad acting and worse execution had ensured a very dull year, indeed. Thankfully, the worst appears to be over. The box office has seen a refreshing revival in the first three months of 2018.

Winning Streak
Here are the films which have given the industry reason to celebrate…

Tiger Zinda Hai
Salman’s second release of 2017, it had turned out to be the only blockbuster of the year gone past. Inspired by real events, this sequel to the blockbuster Ek Tha Tiger, had found huge favour with audiences. An espionage action thriller which followed an adventurous rescue mission in Iraq, its reign which started during the year-end holiday period of 2017, carried over into 2018. The Ali Abbas Zafar directorial set a positive note for the New Year by garnering a considerable Rs.17.50 crore on January 1. The high-octane actioner, which saw Salman and Katrina Kaif reuniting onscreen, enjoyed a long and triumphant run at the domestic box-office. It collected an estimated earning of Rs.339 crore, becoming the third highest domestic grosser in Bollywood.

Padmaavat
After an extremely rocky pre-release run which put its release itself in jeopardy, Sanjay Leela Bhansali's grand period drama finally hit screens on January 25 and powered on like a weapon of mass victory. Starring Deepika Padukone, Ranveer Singh and Shahid Kapoor in pivotal roles, it broke the box office, besides receiving a flood of praise for its beautiful visuals and stellar performances. This period film garnered more than Rs.400 crore at the worldwide box-office, making it the eighth highest grosser of all time. Incidentally, the film achieved these figures despite not releasing in four Indian states (Rajasthan, Gujarat, Madhya Pradesh and Chhattisgarh).

Raid
This Raj Kumar Gupta directorial has been capturing excellent collections. Both critics and fans have greenlighted this Ajay Devgn period crime thriller, which is enjoying a great run at the box office. Inspired by the real-life Income Tax raids that had been conducted by the officers of the Indian Revenue Service in the 1980s, the film has the deadly Devgn in great form. It continues to hold strong since its release on March 16. The collections stand at above Rs.89 crore for the domestic box office. The film needs just Rs.9.89 crore to enter the coveted Rs.100 crore club.

Sonu Ke Titu Ki Sweety
Director Luv Ranjan’s earlier two films in the Pyaar Ka Punchnama series had hit bull’s eye at the box office with their hilarious take on modern relationships. Now his Sonu Ke Titu Ki Sweety repeats the feat, with Kartik Aaryan, Sunny Singh and Nushrat Bharucha embroiled in a bromance vs. romance tussle. Released on February 23, the film has earned more than Rs.106 crore, becoming the third most profitable venture of the year so far.

PadMan
Focussing on the ‘taboo’ subject of menstrual hygiene and sanitation, this Akshay Kumar-starrer managed a not inconsiderable collection of close to Rs.80 crore. Released on February 9, this R. Balki directorial did not reach the Rs.100 crore mark, which is a standard Akshay has maintained in most recent films. Based on the life of Arunachalam Muruganantham, the film did raise considerable awareness about the social issue at its core.

Hichki
Released on March 23, this Sidharth P Malhotra directorial has had a heartening run at the box office. Earning Rs.26.10 crore after seven days, it now holds a spot as the fifth highest opening week collection in 2018. This feel-good film about Naina Mathur, a teacher afflicted with Tourttee Syndrome, who decides to fulfil all her dreams despite hiccups from life, has found favour with audiences.

The Missed Opportunities…
Despite raising hopes, these films failed to satisfy…

Aiyaary
Starring Sidharth Malhotra and Manoj Bajpayee, this Neeraj Pandey film failed to have a good run at the box office and came across as a major disappointment. It crashed after week 2, managing a total of around Rs.17 crore.

Hate Story IV
This Vishal Pandya-directed erotic thriller film had a lacklustre run. Its total collection, after a six-day run, stood at Rs.18.61 crore.

Pari
Directed by debutant Prosit Roy, this Anushka Sharma production did not manage to shake up the box office despite the thrills and chills. This supernatural horror managed very ordinary business. With neither great reviews nor word-of-mouth, the film managed a lukewarm business of around Rs.28 crore.

Kaalakandi
With a lifetime domestic collection of around Rs.4 crore, this black comedy written and directed by Akshat Verma, starring Saif Ali Khan and Sobhita Dhulipala, didn’t find favour at the box office. The reviews were interesting but audiences apparently gave it the miss.

1921
While its music was appreciated, this Vikram Bhatt horror drama failed to achieve impressive numbers. This Zareen Khan-Karan Kundrra film managed collections of around Rs.15.51 crores at the box office.