Often, you can smell a flop a mile away. And then there are times when all signs point to a movie’s success, but when you go to watch them, they’re Maggi without Maggi-masala! There have been numerous Bollywood duds that tanked so miserably at the box office that no amount of A-list talent or glossy promotions could salvage their crash.
Sometimes, ideas just seem creative on paper, but when the box office counters are done tallying up the gate receipts of their latest ‘sure-fire’ hit, their disastrous fates just dissolve all the hype. A recent example of this well-marketed ‘thanda’ film is Kalank, but there are many more that we’ve recently seen in Bollywood. From badly made rom-coms to overhyped action flicks, here is a list of 7 box office bombs of megaton proportions.
1. Kalank
Budget: Rs 250 crores
Box Office Collection: Rs 66.03 crores (till day 5)
When the trailer of Kalank came out, most people called it a rip-off of a Sanjay Leela Bhansali movie. It was lauded for its studded star cast and beautiful sets. However, turns out that Tabaah Ho Gaye was not just a song in the movie, but it was also the audience’s reaction after watching the multi-starrer. The movie lacked a plot and with an aim to be both a political drama and romantic flick, it failed to be either. Going by the box office collection and word of mouth, this movie received a major thumbs down from both the viewers as well as the critics.
Also Read Crazy Thoughts I Had While Watching ‘Kalank’
2. Zero
Budget: Rs 200 crores
Box Office Collection: Rs 186 crores
How often does it happen that a movie can be described by its title? I guess directors should take cues from Ekta Kapoor and pay heed to superstitions while naming their films. Zero was sold to the audience with the promise that it would be SRK’s ‘career best’ performance. However, the promise was quite to the contrary. Shahrukh’s ‘Baua’ was a bitter and severely misogynistic character, who nobody could empathise with. Also featuring Anushka Sharma and Katrina Kaif in pivotal roles, the movie was labelled ‘cringe-worthy’ and according to Twitter, also made the viewers ‘scratch their eyeballs out’. Ouch!
3. Namaste England
Budget: Rs 54 crores
Box Office Collection: Rs 4.18 crores
Starring Arjun Kapoor and Parineeti Chopra, Namaste England was widely promoted, but its box office collections were quite disappointing. Considered as Arjun’s biggest flop till date, the movie received lacklustre reviews and unsavoury audience feedback. A sequel to Akshay Kumar and Katrina Kaif’s popular film Namastey London, it was a movie that the viewers didn’t expect (in a bad way).
4. Thugs Of Hindostan
Budget: Rs 210 crores
Box Office Collection: Rs 145 crores
Although the film collected more than 100 crores, it failed to make a profit at the box office. Thugs Of Hindostan‘s impressive star cast that included Amitabh Bachchan, Aamir Khan and Katrina Kaif failed to make an impact on the viewers and was a 2.5-hour snoozefest. If reports are to be believed, the exhibitors demanded a refund from the makers, and the theatre owners even asked for compensation. The movie also started a hilarious meme fest on Twitter.
5. Rangoon
Budget: Rs 70 crores
Box Office Collection: Rs 32.54 crores
Featuring Shahid Kapoor, Kangana Ranaut and Saif Ali Khan in the lead roles, Rangoon was the biggest debacle of 2017. Despite a heavy footfall on its first Friday, the movie had a dismal opening of only Rs 6.7 crores at the box office. Its plot was messy and there was absolutely no chemistry between Shahid and Kangana.
6. Batti Gul Meter Chalu
Budget: Rs 49 crores
Box Office Collection: Rs 37.73 crores
Well, going by its box office collections, the movie should have been renamed ‘Batti Gul Aur Meter Bhi Nahi Chalu’. Get it? The movie was a failed attempt at socio-comedy, but the script held no merit and the jump in the plot from a corny love triangle to a quest for justice was quite clunky. The film actually starts after the intermission and it was still engrossing NOT AT ALL.
Also Read Thoughts I Had While Watching ‘Batti Gul Meter Chalu’
7. Rock On 2
Budget: Rs 45 crores
Box Office Collection: Rs 15.7 crores
Farhan Akhtar-starrer Rock On 2 did not receive as much love as the first movie, which started a cult following and made Farhan an overnight superstar. Not only did the film fare badly at the box office, but it was a two-hour long tiresome affair that negated the very idea of a sequel. For a film about musicians, Shankar-Ehsaan-Loy’s track failed to pack a punch and was a monumental disappointment.
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