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Horror comedies are definitely trending.
This year, the genre has done especially well, with films like Stree 2 and Munjya,
Will Bhool Bhulaiyaa 3 keep up the momentum?
While we wait on that verdict, Joginder Tuteja looks back at the successful horror comedies in the past.
Stree 2
Box office collection: Rs 627 crore/Rs 6.27 billion (still running)
Stree 2 is not just Bollywood’s biggest horror comedy, but it is also the highest grosser ever in Hindi for any film.
Just a year ago, Jawan had set this record and now Stree 2 has taken it to a different level.
Rajkummar Rao and Shraddha Kapoor’s pairing in the world created by Amar Kaushik resulted in Stree emerging as a hit brand.
Golmaal Again
Box office collection: Rs 205.70 crore/Rs 2.06 billion
Before Stree 2, the most successful horror comedy was Golmaal Again.
In truth, the Rohit Shetty film was higher on comedy and though there were a few scares, it was a family entertainer.
Bhool Bhulaiyaa 2
Box office collection: Rs 186 crore/Rs 1.86 billion
Post pandemic, after Sooryavanshi, it was Bhool Bhulaiyaa 2 that brought the audiences back to theatres.
Many wondered if the new actor-director jodi (Kartik Aaryan and Anees Banzmee) would be able to match the charm created by Akshay Kumar and Priyadarshan.
While that was incomparable, the second film in the installment had its own appeal, and did very well.
Stree
Box office collection: Rs 130 crore/Rs 1.3 billion
A perfect blend pf horror and comedy, Stree had the right kind of momentum that made it run for weeks, and go far ahead of the century mark.
No wonder, it led to a sequel.
Munjya
Box office collection: Rs 107.48 crore/Rs 1.07 billion
Munjya firmly established that the horror comedy genre is here to stay.
Despite featuring no stars, the small budget film went on to impress the audiences and entered the Rs 100 Crore Club (Rs 1 billion).
Bhediya
Box office collection: Rs 70 crore/Rs 700 million
Bhediya should have done better than its eventual outcome.
After the Rajkummar Rao-Janhvi Kapoor starrer Roohi, the next instalment of the horror universe was the Varun Dhawan-Kriti Sanon-starrer, Bhediya,
It was a well made film and set benchmarks for VFX, but it did just average business at the box office. But the Bhediya cameo in Stree 2 showed how popular the character has become.
Bhool Bhulaiyaa
Box office collection: Rs 50 crore/Rs 500 million
The kind of fun that Bhool Bhulaiyaa brought in remains unparalleled. It, in fact, set the template for this genre.
A remake of a Malayalam film, the Akshay Kumar starrer, directed by Priyadarshan, was a lot of fun.
Vidya Balan ensured there was ample horror.
Bhoothnath Returns
Box office collection: Rs 40 crore/Rs 400 million
The ‘spirit’ of Bhoothnath, pun intended, was repeated in the sequel when Amitabh Bachchan returned as the friendly ghost in Bhoothnath Returns.
This was a children friendly film, where the character of Bhoothnath took it upon himself to rescue little ones from evil.
It did well commercially and one wonders why it doesn’t have a third part yet.
Go Goa Gone
Box office collection: Rs 25.16 crore/Rs 251.6 million
Bollywood’s only zombie film, Raj & DK’s Go Goa Gone managed a mainstream theatrical release and even got decent success.
Saif Ali Khan rocked the show in this Kunal Kemmu, Vir Das, Puja Gupta and Anand Tiwari starrer, which may just have a sequel.
Bhoothnath
Box office collection: Rs 24 crore/Rs 240 million
Though the title of Bhoothnath gives a clear indication of a ‘ghost’ at the centre of affairs, the film catered primarily to family audiences and hence the horror quotient was kept to a minimal.
Amitabh Bachchan played a friendly ghost, so he was loveable, albeit grumpy. The film brought in a good mix of drama and emotion.
Note: All collections as per various box office sources
