The year 2025 is now behind us. It saw four blockbusters, two (arguably three) of them being big ones. There were four more HIT films, including a re-issue of a 2016 film that had gone largely unnoticed at the time of its original release. Overall, the year produced eight HIT films and fifteen successes. Back in pre-pandemic years, the industry was delivering over or around 15 HIT films and more successes annually. Recently, 2023 was the best one with 11 hits or better. 2025 wasn’t a great year, but it wasn’t the disaster of 2024 either. 

Dhurandhar emerged as the biggest HIT and the top grosser of the year. It is already the highest-grossing Bollywood film of all time and is expected to very soon become the highest-grossing Hindi film of all time as well, overtaking Pushpa 2. At present, the film is placed in the SUPER BLOCKBUSTER bracket, though it could well end up being classified as an ALL TIME BLOCKBUSTER, depending on where it finally closes.

Chhaava was the second biggest hit of the year. It was big enough to be the biggest, but Dhurandhar denied it that distinction in the end. In Maharashtra, the biggest box office state, the film was not only the biggest hit and grosser of the year but is also amongst the biggest films of all time in the company of films Sholay, Hum Aapke Hai Kaun and Baahubali 2. 

Then there were two surprise BLOCKBUSTERs, one a musical love story, Saiyaara, with two rank newcomers and the other an animated film. Saiyaara, powered by its superhit soundtrack, saw a phenomenal business in both India and overseas. The music proved to be the flavour of the year, with three more HITs driven by their hit music, including a re-release. The animated film, i.e. Mahavatar Narsimha, defied norms. Animation has traditionally struggled in India, but this film broke out in a big way. One clarification is necessary here: it was an original Hindi film, produced by a Delhi based production, but was presented by a South Indian banner, Hombale Films. Ultimately, it remains a Hindi film and not a South Indian one.

Beyond these, seven more films can be classified as successes. For two of them, an argument could be made for a HIT verdict, going by their theatrical performance, but recovery proved to be an issue. Sitaare Zameen Par fell short due to missing digital revenues, while Jaat suffered simply because of overtly high costs. Akshay Kumar, who had a tough patch post-pandemic, had a relatively better year with three successful films. Housefull 5 looked on course for a HIT after its opening, but failed to sustain, while Kesari 2 and Jolly LLB 3 showed steady trends but opened too low. Nevertheless, 2025 was a step up for him compared to recent years.

The two big misses last year were what were widely seen as the two biggest films of the year at the beginning, i.e. War 2 and Sikandar. Other than these two, some other prominent flops were Baaghi 4, Tu Meri Main Tera, Skyforce and Son of Sardaar 2. The rom-com genre, in particular, endured a difficult year, registering multiple misses despite some of them having promising promos and music. Traditionally, the genre has been a reliable hit generator for the industry, and its struggle through the year was underwhelming.

The Classifications for Bollywood for the year 2025 are as follows:

ALL TIME BLOCKBUSTER
–

SUPER BLOCKBUSTER
Dhurandhar (may emerge ATBB)
Chhaava

BLOCKBUSTER
Saiyaara
Mahavatar Narsimha

SUPER HIT
–

HIT
Raid 2
Tere Ishk Mein
Ek Deewane Ki Deewaniyat
Sanam Teri Kasam (re-release)

AVERAGE
Sitaare Zameen Par
Housefull 5
Thamma
Jolly LLB 3
Kesari 2
Jaat
The Taj Story

Among Hindi dubbed films, Kantara: Chapter 1 was the biggest hit and grosser. It was classified as a SUPER HIT. Coolie did decently well and was an AVERAGE. 

F1 The Movie, Avatar: Fire and Ash, Mission: Impossible – Final Reckoning, The Conjuring 4, Jurassic World Rebirth and Final Destination: Bloodlines were the Hollywood films which did HIT or better business, with the first one being a Blockbuster.
 

Hailee Steinfeld is gearing up to be a first-time mom, and the actress is keeping the excitement alive among her fans by dropping new hints about it regularly! Ringing in the New Year, the 29-year-old shared a rundown of her days as a pregnant woman following a dreamy marriage to American footballer Josh Allen. Among the many photos she shared with her Substack family, the star revealed a cute cream onesie with ‘Baby Beau’ written on it. While many may think of it as an official name revelation from the American star, it’s far more than that!

Where does Hailee Steinfeld’s ‘Beau’ obsession stem from?

The carefully curated dump of photos included sweet moments from the couple and a cheeky peek at their Christmas tree. The actress revealed a onesie, which raised questions about the name of her baby being ‘Beau’; however, fans of Hailee Steinfeld would know that it’s a tag that has long followed the Sinners star. Previously, she revealed how her parents almost named her Bailee, which in turn made them call her ‘Hailee Beau Bailee’, a truly household nickname that has stuck through the tests of time. 

While there’s no confirmation whether it was merely a nod to her childhood name or a hint at what would be her baby’s moniker, only time will tell. Interestingly, her Substack is also named ‘BS’, standing for ‘Beau Society’, hinting at another possibility for the Baby Beau onesie.

Alongside her and New Year’s celebrations, the actress further revealed a teeny tiny look at her baby bump. Sharing a shadow photo of herself, Hailee Steinfeld showcased her growing belly. It also included a heart frame with the words ‘mothers are underrated’ on it. Other photos were from her nights out with family and friends, unseen marriage moments with her husband, and BTS from work days.