The year 2023 has turned out to be one of the most profitable years for the Indian film industry.
The year witnessed numerous box office successes like Jawan, Animal, Pathaan, and Gadar 2. Even small and medium-budget films gained popularity and commercial appeal among moviegoers. What makes 2023 stand out is the number of release clashes that happened this year. There is no denying that film enthusiasts were never out of options and witnessed more than one release on the very first day.
With 2023 coming to an end, it’s time to look at some of the movie clashes that happened this year.
DUNKI-SALAAR
The clash between Rajkumar Hirani’s Dunki and Prashanth Neel’s Salaar is yet to happen within a week. Dunki will mark the third film for Shah Rukh Khan this year and the actor’s first ever venture with Hirani. This is not the first time Shah Rukh is clashing with a Prashanth Neel film. Actor’s Zero clashed with KGF Chapter 1 on December 21, 2018. Zero underperformed at the box office, prompting the actor to take a four-year hiatus, while Neel’s KGF turned out to be a hit. It will be an interesting affair to see how these two will fare, with Dunki set to release on December 21, and Salaar on December 22.
ANIMAL-SAM BAHADUR
A much more recent clash in the Hindi film industry. Animal, directed by Sandeep Reddy Vanga, was co-released with Meghna Gulzar’s directorial Sam Bahadur on December 1. This clash was in the news, since the films featured protagonists in the form of Ranbir Kapoor and Vicky Kaushal. Despite receiving mixed reviews, both films are enjoying good theatrical runs presently.
BARBIE-OPPENHEIMER
There is hardly anyone who doesn’t know about the Barbenheimer phenomenon. The clash between Greta Gerwig’s Barbie and Christopher Nolan’s Oppenheimer garnered tremendous coverage across the globe. Similarly, the Indian audience witnessed the release of both films on July 21. The movies dominated the worldwide box office and garnered a great critical response. Barbie turned out to be the highest worldwide grosser, while Oppenheimer, despite being shy of the billion-dollar mark, emerged as the highest grossing biopic of all time.
In India, the situation was different, as Oppenheimer fared better at the box office. As per industry tracking site Sacnilk, Nolan directorial collected Rs 131.73 crore, while Gerwig’s film collected only Rs 46.43 crore. Overall, both films enjoyed their theatrical runs and are now competing at global award circuits.
GADAR 2 – OMG 2
The Independence day season saw the arrival of two sequels of highly acclaimed films . Anil Sharma’s Gadar 2 saw the return of Sunny Deol as Tara Singh, while OMG 2 featured Akshay Kumar in yet another godly avatar.
Gadar 2 hit the nostalgic cord among the Indian audience and turned out to be a blockbuster. The first day of the release saw the film collect Rs 40 crore, while the Amit Rai directorial garnered Rs 10.26 crore at the box office. Both films did exceptionally well and turned out to be major commercial successes.