The first half of 2023 has been a mixed bag for Bollywood when it came to the box office. It housed Bollywood's biggest grosser in Pathaan, that marked the return of Shah Rukh Khan in a leading role on the big screen after a gap of four years. The period also saw hits in Ranbir Kapoor and Shraddha Kapoor's Tu Jhooti Main Makkar while the propaganda piece, The Kerala Story, repeats the same success story of The Kashmir Files back in 2021. Recently, Zara Hatke Zara Bachke, starring Vicky Kaushal and Sara Ali Khan in the lead, also performed very well based on its quite economical budget. Even Rani Mukerji's Mrs Chatterjee vs Norway is said to be profitable at the box office thanks to its miniscule budget. Adipurush Controversy: Nepal Resumes Screening of Hindi Movies Except Prabhas-Kriti Sanon’s Film.

However, the same cannot be said for some of the other biggies that came out at the box office and ended up as major disappointments in this period. The more recent being Adipurush that may have had a good opening weekend, but the slump that the film saw in the first Monday is something Adipurush can barely recover from especially with its humongous budget. And Adipurush has other biggies in this not-so-esteemed company.

In this special feature, let's look at five hyped Bollywood entertainers that underperformed at the box office.

Shehzada

Promotional Still of Shehzada

Domestic BO: Rs 32.20 Crore

While the move to remake Ala Vaikunthapurramuloo was ill-advised, Shehzada was Kartik Aaryan's big theatrical release after the blockbuster Bhool Bhulaiyaa 2 (Freddy opted for an OTT release). However, this time, Kartik Aaryan couldn't beat the negative reviews and the obvious comparisons to Allu Arjun, and the film was a major flop at the box office. Rohit Dhawan had directed Shehzada, which also starred Kriti Sanon, Manisha Koirala, Ronit Roy and Paresh Rawal. Shehzada Movie Review: Kartik Aaryan and Kriti Sanon's Remake of Ala Vaikunthapurramuloo is a Joyless Facsimile.

Selfiee

Promotional Still of Selfiee

Domestic BO: Rs 16.85 Crore

Second of the four remakes in this list (Bollywood, you know where the problem is), Selfiee continues Akshay Kumar's poor form at box office since Bachchan Pandey. Even though the film received lukewarm reviews, the audience simply ignore Selfiee at the theatres and it is easily one of the worst performers of 2023. Selfiee is directed by Raj N Mehta, and also stars Emraan Hashmi and Diana Penty. Selfiee Movie Review: Akshay Kumar-Emraan Hashmi’s Remake of Driving Licence Falls Short of Passing the Test With Flying Colours.

Bholaa

Ajay Devgn in Bholaa

Domestic BO: Rs 82.04 Crore

To be fair to Bholaa and its actor-director Ajay Devgn, it is easily the best film in this list (which isn't saying much) and it didn't flop hard at the box office; and yet it was an under-performer since this Kaithi remake was made on a budget of Rs 100 crore (estimate). While Devgn has passionately mounted his fourth directorial and even wanted to expand it into a franchise, the ultra-violent tone kept away the family audiences from theatres (though they were all in for The Kerala Story, which is far harsher and violent in its nature). Bholaa also stars Tabu, Amala Paul, Sanjay Mishra, Deepak Dobriyal, and Abhishek Bachchan in a cameo. Bholaa Movie Review: Ajay Devgn Packs More Punches But Not Enough Power in This Hyper-Violent Kaithi Remake.

Kisi Ka Bhai Kisi Ki Jaan

Salman Khan and Pooja Hegde in Kisi Ka Bhai Kisi Ki Jaan

Domestic BO: Rs 110.53 Crore

Yes, this remake of Veeram hit a century at the Indian box office, but for a Salman Khan film, merely breaching the Rs 100 crore mark isn't enough. Made reportedly on a budget of Rs 225 crore (why?), KKBKKJ continued to go in the same vein as some of Bhai's last releases - Race 3, Dabangg 3 and Antim, take a good opening and squander it in the next week. Kisi Ka Bhai Kisi Ki Jaan was directed by Farhad Samji, and also starred Pooja Hegde, Venkatesh, Shehnaaz Gill, Satish Kaushik, Bhumika Chawla, Raghav Juyal, Jassie Gill, Siddharth Nigam, Palak Tiwari and Jagapathi Babu. Kisi Ka Bhai Kisi Ki Jaan Movie Review: Salman Khan and Pooja Hegde’s Action-Entertainer Impresses at Being an Utter Slog-Fest! 

Adipurush

Promotional Still of Adipurush

Domestic BO: Frankly, it is hard to track a number since every portal is displaying a different figure

Am I too soon in writing a obituary about Adipurush being a disappointment at the box office? It has not been even a week since its release, but seeing its downslide after a mega opening, even the trade experts don't expect the Prabhas-starrer to recover its mammoth budget of Rs 500 crore (or is it Rs 600 crore or 700 crore, nothing is sure of its financial stakes) through theatrical means. Even if the collections may be allegedly inflated, it is hard to deny that the movie is not going working as per expectations and is an underperformer. Directed by Om Raut, Adipurush also stars Saif Ali Khan, Kriti Sanon, Sunny Singh and Vatsal Sheth.

(The above story first appeared on LatestLY on Jun 24, 2023 05:56 PM IST. For more news and updates on politics, world, sports, entertainment and lifestyle, log on to our website latestly.com).