How did 2020 fare at the box office so far?

2020 has been a poor year for Bollywood.

Coronavirus hit the film industry badly, causing theatres to shut down after the release of Angrezi Medium in March. But even before that, the situation wasn't great.

Joginder Tuteja compares the year so far with the previous five years.

 

January to June, 2020

Box office revenue: Rs 780 crore

Rs 200 crore club film: Tanhaji - The Unsung Warrior

Biggie that did well: Baaghi 3

Other notable grossers: Street Dancer 3D, Shubh Mangal Zyada Savdhan, Malang

Only one film did really well: Ajay Devgn's Tanhaji - The Unsung Warrior.

Baaghi 3 could have entered the Rs 100 crore club had it continued running in theatres, but its run was cut short by COVID-19.

Besides these two films, it was a disappointing first half of 2020.

January to June, 2019

Box office revenue: Rs 2,019 crore

Rs 200 crore club films: Kabir Singh, Uri - The Surgical Strike, Bharat

Rs 100 crore club films: Kesari, Total Dhamaal, Gully Boy, De De Pyaar De

Biggies that did well: Luka Chuppi, Manikarnika - The Queen of Jhansi, Badla

Other notable grossers: Student of the Year 2, Article 15, Romeo Akbar Walter, Thackeray, The Accidental Prime Minister, The Tashkent Files

Bollywood amassed exactly Rs 2,019 crore in the first half of 2019.

For the first time, there was a hat-trick of Rs 200 crore films in six months.

A terrific start to a year that went on to set more records.

 

January to June, 2018

Box office revenue: Rs 1,826 crore

Rs 300 crore club films: Sanju, Padmaavat

Rs 100 crore club films: Race 3, Baaghi 2, Raazi, Sonu Ke Titu Ki Sweety, Raid

Biggies that did well: Veere Di Wedding, PadMan, Parmanu - The Story of Pokharan, 102 Not Out

Other notable grossers: Hichki, Pari

2018 was the only year when triple centuries were scored in just six months.

Besides that, it saw many more hits, with films belonging to different genres.

While a few big films could not come close to the Rs 100 crore mark, they did gain popularity over the weeks.

 

January to June, 2017

Box office revenue: Rs 1,544 crore

Rs 500 crore club film: Baahubali: The Conclusion [Hindi]

Rs 100 crore club films: Raees, Tubelight, Jolly LLB 2, Badrinath Ki Dulhania, Kaabil

Other notable grossers: Hindi Medium, Half Girlfriend, Sachin - A Billion Dreams, Naam Shabana, Commando 2, The Ghazi Attack

Almost one third of the entire moolah that was accumulated at the box office in the first half of 2017 came courtesy just one film -- Baahubali 2 -- and that too, in the dubbed Hindi version.

 

January to June, 2016

Box office revenue: Rs 1,120 crore

Rs 100 crore club films: Airlift and Housefull 3

Biggies that did well: Baaghi, Neerja, Kapoor & Sons

Other notable grossers: Udta Punjab, Ki & Ka, Wazir

2016 was when things started looking up for the Bollywood box office. It crossed the Rs 1,000 crore mark in the first six months of 2016 itself.