Bollywood box-office October 2017: The month of Diwali was all about Golmaal Again vs Secret Superstar

October witnessed the mega clash between Aamir Khan’s Secret Superstar and Ajay Devgn’s Golmaal Again, here’s who emerged the winner.

If September was all about the smashing run of Judwaa 2 at the box office, October saw the super clash between Ajay Devgn’s Golmaal Again and Aamir Khan’s Secret Superstar. Golmaal Again released on October 20, a day after Aamir Khan’s Secret Superstar hit the theatres on October 19. Though the first week of October also saw Saif Ali Khan’s Chef on October 6, it managed to collect a total of Rs 6.35 crore in its lifetime leaving a number of fans disappointed.

A major reason for Chef not working at the ticketing counters was it having to face a neck-to-neck competition from Varun Dhawan’s Judwaa 2 which in turn had a phenomenal run at the box office.

Next up was Aamir Khan and Zaira Wasim’s Secret Superstar which opened to a not-so-astonishing Rs 4.80 crore on October 19. But soon with the spread of some spectacular word-of-mouth promotion, the Advait Chandan film became, what can be called, a sleeper hit and collected more than Rs 30 crore in its opening weekend itself. Its total collection till now stands at Rs 42 crore.

Clashing with Secret Superstar was Rohit Shetty’s Golmaal Again which released a day after on October 20. Being a heavy-budget franchise film, Golmaal Again has been raking in the moolah ever since its release. An out and out masala comedy with an ensemble cast including the likes of Ajay Devgn, Parineeti Chopra, Tabu, Arshad Warsi and many others, Golmaal Again could even become the second highest grosser of 2017 after Baahubali. Until its second weekend, Golmaal Again has raked in a total of Rs 167.52 crore.

It is pretty clear that Golmaal Again is leading the race against Secret Superstar with its box office figures in October. While both the films were expected to cash on the long Diwali weekend, what seems to have worked for Golmaal Again is exactly that. The Rohit Shetty film is a typical Bollywood entertainer. On the other hand, Secret Superstar’s core is pure content. And it looks like in between the festive mood, the audience is more in the mood for some light comedy.

However, Golmaal Again’s numbers are clear proof that masala comedies with a large cast will never lose appeal among Indian audiences. Nevertheless, a collection of almost Rs 42 crore for Secret Superstar in its first week is also astonishing. In what looks like a smart strategy, Secret Superstar hit the theatres on Thursday, the day of Diwali itself, which is not common in Bollywood. But this extra day helped the film establish its feet and spread the word-of-mouth appreciation before Friday itself.