The runner-up for the year is Spider-man: No Way Home with Rs. 256.50 crores approx, becoming the fourth highest-grossing Hollywood movie in India in the process. The other change in rankings was 83 which jumped from number 9 to number 5 with Rs. 126.50 crores. The film is a huge box office disappointment, ideally should have at least done double the amount it did now.

The top ten highest-grossing movies at the Indian box office during the year 2021 are as follows:

1. Pushpa: The Rise – Rs. 325 crores Approx (47 days)
2. Spider-man: No Way Home – Rs. 259.25 crores Approx (48 days)
3. Sooryavanshi – Rs. 231.70 crores
4. Master – Rs. 209.60 crores
5. 83 – Rs. 126.50 crores Approx (40 days)
6. Vakeel Saab – Rs. 119.10 crores
7. Akhanda – Rs. 108.90 crores Approx (62 days)
8. Annaatthe – Rs. 104 crores
9. Uppena – Rs. 93.30 crores
10. Doctor – Rs. 81.60 crores

The list is dominated by South Indian films, with only two Bollywood films making it into the top ten. Though to be fair, the Bollywood box office was only open for the last two months of the year, while South India had a good first quarter and then a couple of major releases at the rear end of the year. Still, films like Sooryavanshi and 83 should have done way more than they did and the others like Antim could have made it in the top ten. This is now the fourth year out of five since 2017 having a non-Bollywood film as the HGOTY. 2020 was the odd year out, but even there, if all the films in the original schedule were released without CoVID disruption, RRR was hands down the biggest film of the year. 2022 seems like will make it five out of six, as the biggest films of the year are two South Indian movies RRR and KGF: Chapter Two. 

Also Read: Indian box office release calendar shaping up again; RRR, Valimai, Shamshera & others set release plans