Actors Who Brought Audiences To Theatres

2022 has been a largely dull year for the film industry with most releases failing at the box office.

But the movies that worked have made its stars shine brighter as they add yet another success to their names.

Joginder Tuteja looks at the actors who have scored the biggest openers in 2022 so far.

 

Yash
KGF - Chapter 2 (Hindi)
Opening box office collection: Rs 143.64 crore/Rs 1.43 billion

The toast of the season remains Kannada actor Yash. He had scored big with KGF: Chapter 1. With the sequel, he went even bigger.

So much was the curiosity around KGF 2 on a pan-India level that the Hindi version went on to set a new record.

It even surpassed the opening of S S Rajamouli's mega blockbuster, Baahubali: The Conclusion.

 

Ranbir Kapoor
Brahmastra
Opening box office collection: Rs 122 crore*/Rs 1.22 billion*
Shamshera
Opening box office collection: Rs 31.75 crore/Rs 317.5 million

Ranbir has seen two releases this year.

Though Shamshera didn't do well, it still fetched one of the better openings of the year.

He did way better with Brahmastra, as it took the second biggest opening of the year. It's also the biggest Bollywood opener so far.

 

NTR Jr, Ram Charan
RRR (Hindi)
Opening box office collection: Rs 75.57 crore/Rs 755.7 million

NTR Jr and Ram Charan came together for the first time, and RRR scored huge in the Hindi version with an opening weekend collection of over Rs 75 crore.

Ram Charan was later seen in the Telugu film Acharya with his superstar father Chiuranjeevi, but that was a disaster.

 

Alia Bhatt
Brahmastra
Opening box office collection: Rs 122 crore*
RRR (Hindi)
Opening box office collection: Rs 75.57 crore
Gangubai Kathiawadi
Opening box office collection: Rs 39.12 crore (Rs 391.2 million)

Alia has been the most successful star across all Indian film industries in 2022, as she has featured in three films and all of them have taken a very good start.

She had an author-backed role in Gangubai Kathiawad,, the first release post-pandemic to do well.

She had a minor role in RRR, but was an integral part of the blockbuster.

She's the leading lady of Brahmastra, and that may just be the biggest earner amongst the three releases.

 

Kartik Aaryan
Bhool Bhulaiyaa 2
Opening box office collection: Rs 55.96 crore/Rs 559.6 million

Before Brahmastra, the previous Hindi hit was Bhool Bhulaiyaa 2 , starring Kartik Aaryan.

At that time, the film industry was reeling with multiple back-to-back failures with no respite.

Kartik's horror comedy with Anees Bazmee was hailed as a saviour.

Akshay Kumar
Samrat Prithviraj
Opening box office collection: Rs 39.4 crore/Rs 394 million
Bachchhan Paandey
Opening box office collection:: Rs 36.17 crore/Rs 361.7 million

Akshay has seen three theatrical releases in 2022 and unfortunately, none have done well at the box office.

Bachchhan Paandey could have been a good grosser but it got caught in The Kashmir Files's historic wave.

Samrat Prithviraj was long in the waiting and though it opened better, it was not good enough.

Raksha Bandhan could not find a place in the Top 10 openings of 2022.

 

Varun Dhawan, Anil Kapoor
JugJugg Jeeyo
Opening box office collection: Rs 36.93 crore/Rs 369.3 million

JugJugg Jeeyo generated some footfalls in theatres.

The Varun Dhawan-Anil Kapoor combo delivered in this Raj Mehta directed family dramedy, which boasted chartbuster songs.

 

Kiara Advani
Bhool Bhulaiyaa 2
Opening box office collection: Rs 55.96 crore
JugJugg Jeeyo
Opening box office collection: Rs 36.93 crore

Like Alia, Kiara -- whose real name is ironically Alia! -- has also seen a 100 percent success rate this year.

She featured in the blockbuster Bhool Bhulaiyaa 2 and added good value to the film's fortunes.

In JugJugg Jeeyo, she had a meatier role and she delivered well.

 

Aamir Khan
Laal Singh Chaddha
Opening box office collection: Rs 27.96 crore/Rs 279.6 million

Usually, an Aamir Khan movie leads such lists.

Unfortunately, this time, he finds himself almost at the bottom, what with Laal Singh Chaddha turning out to be a disaster.

 

Anupam Kher, Darshan Kumar, Mithun Chakraborty, Pallavi Joshi
The Kashmir Files
Opening box office collection: Rs 27.15 crore/Rs 271.5 million

Director Vivek Agnihotri designed The Kashmir Files as an ensemble film, where Anupam Kher played the central character around whom the story revolved.

Kher was joined by Darshan Kumar, Mithun Chakraborty and Pallavi Joshi in this Kashmiri Pandit genocide drama set in Kashmir of the early 1990s.

Even though the film didn't have big stars or an aggressive marketing campaign, audiences rushed to the theatres to know what it was all about.