Rewind 2024: List Of Indian Horror Movies Lead The Pack With Record-Breaking Earnings

The year 2024 started off slowly for Indian cinema; however, the horror genre emerged as a surprising champion, with back-to-back hits like Shaitaan, Bhool Bhulaiyaa 3, and more, dominating the box office. A report from Hindustan Times highlights the following list of Indian horror films that performed well this year.

Bramayugam

The horror genre was kickstarted in February by Bramayugam, a period folk horror and thriller film starring Mammootty. Directed by Rahul Sadasivan, the film delved into Kerala's sacred mystery, mythology, and folklore. It was released in black-and-white format, yet still managed to captivate audiences. Despite a budget of Rs 30 crore, Bramayugam earned Rs 58.2 crore at the box office, becoming one of the highest-grossing Malayalam films of 2024.

Shaitaan

In March, Shaitaan continued the horror success. The film marked Jyotika's Bollywood comeback, with R Madhavan playing the villain. Directed by Vikas Bahl, Shaitaan is a supernatural horror thriller adapted from the 2023 Gujarati film Vash. It tells the story of a family trying to save their daughter from the spell of black magic. Released to a warm reception, it earned Rs 213 crore worldwide, cementing its place as a box office hit.

Munjya

Next came Munjya, a small-budget horror film that surprised audiences with both its content and box office collection. The film, part of the Maddock Supernatural Universe, features a CGI-created titular character based on Indian folklore. Produced by Amar Kaushik and Dinesh Vijan, it garnered Rs 125 crore at the box office, against a budget of Rs 30 crore, making it a sleeper hit. The film's songs, Tainu Khabar Nahi and Taras, also became chartbusters.

Stree 2

The most anticipated horror-comedy of the year, Stree 2, released later, broke multiple records. The sequel to the 2018 hit Stree, it became the highest-grossing Bollywood film of 2024. The film, starring Rajkummar Rao, Shraddha Kapoor, Pankaj Tripathi, and others, tells the story of a group of friends fighting against Sarkata, a malevolent entity. Stree 2 entered the Rs 200-crore club within four days and went on to earn Rs 857 crore worldwide, surpassing major blockbusters like Jawan and Baahubali 2 in its second day collections.

Bhool Bhulaiyaa 3

The success of the horror genre continued with Bhool Bhulaiyaa 3 during Diwali. Starring Kartik Aaryan, Vidya Balan, and Madhuri Dixit, the film saw fierce competition from Singham Again. Despite this, it emerged as a major box office success, grossing Rs 389 crore and becoming the second highest-grossing Bollywood film of 2024. Bhool Bhulaiyaa 3 marked a major milestone in Kartik Aaryan's career with his biggest opener to date.

Aranmanai 4

In Tamil cinema, Aranmanai 4 became another hit. Directed by Sundar C, this horror-comedy, starring Tamannaah Bhatia and Raashii Khanna, earned Rs 98 crore worldwide. It secured a spot among the highest-grossing Tamil films of the year, beating out other big films like Kanguva and Thangalaan.

When adding up the worldwide box office collections of Indian horror films in 2024 (excluding Tumbbad), the total reaches Rs 1740 crore. This impressive total is higher than the earnings of major hits like Pushpa 2 The Rule (Rs 1042 crore) and Kalki 2898 AD, proving the dominance of horror films at the box office this year.

With a string of hits across various genres, 2024 has proven to be a year of surprising successes, especially for the horror genre, which has captivated audiences and dominated the box office like never before.