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