Yearender 2023: From ‘Animal’ to ‘Tiger 3’, check out top 10 highest-grossing Indian films of this year

New Delhi: 2023 has been a remarkable year for the Indian film industry. The year saw several blockbuster flicks amassing monumental amounts of money at the box office by pulling huge crowds into the theaters, putting a full stop to the draught the industry was struggling with since the pandemic era.

Now, with 2023 set to bid farewell and 2024 knocking right at the doors, let’s have a quick rewind and look at the collection of top 10 films that garnered tremendous success at the BO and earned a special place in the hearts of fans.

10. Ponniyin Selvan 2 (350 crore)

Helmed by ace director Mani Ratnam, Ponniyin Selvan 2 is the second installment of Ponniyan Selval 1 which is a dystopian tale inspired by an acclaimed novel by Kalki Krishnamurthy. Its story revolves around the challenging journey of Arulmozhi Varman who ends up becoming the honored king of the great Chola dynasty (Raja Raha Chola)

The film made around Rs 181 crore in India and 350 crore at the global box office, making it the highest-grossing Tamil flick for the time being. It features Aishwarya Rai, Vikram, Prabhu, and Shobhita Dhulipala in key roles and was released on the big screens on 28 April 2023.

 9. Adipurush (353 crore)

Directed by Om Raut, Adipurush is perhaps the only film in this list that flopped at the box office. However, despite turning out as a major debacle the film did manage to pull off Rs 286 crore (India) and 450 crore (worldwide) from the ticket windows, making it the 9th highest grosser of the year

Based on the Hindu epic of Ramayana, Adipurush features Pan-Indian star Prabahs as lord Rama (Raghava) and Kirti Sanon as Seeta (Janki) with Saif Ali Khan playing the antagonist Lankesh (Ravana)

The film made it to the theaters on June 16, 2023.

8. Rocky aur Rani kii Prem Kahani (356 crore)

Karan Johar’s family drama, which beautifully showcased the chemistry between Alia Bhatt (Rani) and Ranveer Singh (Rocky), turned out to be a massive hit at the Box office.

By the end of its theatrical run, the film managed to collect Rs 182 crore in India and Rs 355.61 (overseas) to become the 8th highest-grossing Indian film of 2023.

Its stellar cast features Ranveer Singh, Alia Bhatt, Dharmendra, and Jaya Bachchan in pivotal roles. The film was released on the big screens on July 28, 2023.

7. Tiger 3 (465.42)

Following the debacle of his Eid release Kisi ka bhai kisi ki Jan, Salman Khan made a dream comeback at the box office with the third installment of his Tiger franchise Tiger 3.

While the film is still running across the theaters worldwide, it has already become the 7th highest-grosser Indian film of this year by amassing Rs 338.00 crore at the domestic box office and Rs 465.42 Crore from overseas.

The film’s story once again circles the iconic characters from its previous installment Zoya (Katarina Kaif) and Tiger (Salman Khan) who set off on a challenging mission to prove their innocence after being falsely labeled as traitors by a wicked ISI agent.

Besides Salman and Katrina, the spy thriller’s star-studded cast also has Emran Hashmi, Riddhi Dogra, and Mitchell Lee in impact roles. The film was released overseas on 11 November while in India, it made it to the big screens on Diwali 2023. (12 November)

6. Jailer (607.00 crore)

Thalaiva’s Jailer is the second-highest Tamil grosser of 2023. Directed by Nelson Dilip Kumar, the film’s story circles around a former jailer (Rajinikanth), who leaves no stone unturned in the pursuit of finding and teaching a lesson to the murderers of his son.

At the Box Office, Jailer received an overwhelming response from the public who hailed the actioner as a masterpiece and helped it earn a monumental sum of Rs 348 crore in India and Rs 604 crore. (worldwide) besides Rajnikanth, the film also features Ramya Krishan Tamannaah Bhatiya, and Tiger Shroff in crucial roles.

5. Leo (620.50 crore)

Helmed by Ss Lalit Kumar, Leo features superstar Vijay in multiple shades which left the fans going gaga about the movie from the first day of its release in the theaters.

So far, Leo has minted a thumping collection of Rs 625 crore worldwide, making it Vijay’s career best film as well as 2023’s 5th highest-grossing Indian movie, and higher-grossing Tamil movie. It features Vijay, Trisha, Sanjay Dutt, and Menon in key roles and was released on the big screens on October 19, 2023.

Gadar 2 (691.08 crore)

After a long gap of two decades since the release of Bollywood’s cult classic hit Gadar: Ek Prem Katha, Veteran actor Sunny Deol returned to the big screens in his iconic avatar of Tara Singh with Gadar 2

The film garnered a rave response from moviegoers as it wreaked Mayhem at the Box office and minted Rs 620 crore (domestic) and 691 crore (worldwide) to become the fourth-highest flick of 2023.

It features Sunny Deol, Ameesha Patel, Utkarsh Sharma, and Simran Kaur in the lead roles and was released in theaters across the globe on 11 August 2023.

3. Animal (782.36 crore)

As of writing this, Sandeep Reddy Vanga’s crime drama is wreaking havoc at the box office. In just 13 days of its theatrical run, the Ranbir Kapoor starrer has zoomed past the record of Sanju with a significant margin to become his most successful film of all time as well as the 3rd highest-grosser of 2023.

So far, the Sandeep Reddy Directorial has minted Rs 570 crore in India and Rs 782  crore at the worldwide box office.

With Ranbir Kapoor, Rashmika Mandanna, Bobby Deol & Anil Kapoor in the lead roles, Animal takes the intensity of obsession one step ahead then Sandeep’s Kabir Singh.

Besides its action-packed & violent storyline, Animal also showcases the complexity of a father and Son’s relationship that helps the viewers connect to the movie’s character on an emotional level. The film made it to the big screens on December 1, 2023

2. Pathan (1050 crore)

King Khan’s Pathan gave the megastar a dream comeback to the box office, With Pathan, Shah Rukh, who was himself going through a sluggish phase of his career, revived the entire Bollywood and ended the film industry’s post Pandemic era of struggle.

By the end of its days in the theaters, Pathan emerged as the career-best movie for the 58-year-old actor and amassed Rs 654 crore in India and Rs 1050 at the global box office.

Besides Shah Rukh, the YRF Spy Verse actioner features Deepika Padukone and John Abraham in the leading roles. It was released in the cinemas on January 25, 2023.

1. Jawan (1,148 crore)

Jawan is the highest-grosser of 2023 and well as the biggest hit of Shah Rukh Khan’s entire acting career. With a remarkable worldwide collection of Rs 1,148 and 761 crores in the domestic market, Jawan beats every other 2023 flick by a long margin to remain the highest-grosser of the year and the second-biggest Hindi film of all time next to Aamir’s Dangal.

Helmed by talented director Atlee, Jawan features a star-studded cast of skilled actors like Nayanthara, Vijay Sethupathi Sanjay Dutt, Deepika Padukone, and the one and only Shah Rukh Khan. The movie was released on the big screens on September 7, 2023.