It has been a very tough year for Bollywood, since films have not been able to open well. The star-led films too, have failed to put up numbers. Only 4 films opened to Rs. 10 cr nett or more this year, and that is after 7 months. Ek Villain Returns released yesterday and broke into the list of top Bollywood openers for this year, as it secured the seventh position, behind Bhool Bhulaiyaa 2, Bachchhan Paandey, Prithviraj, Shamshera, Gangubai Kathiawadi and JugJugg Jeeyo.
The opening of Ek Villain Returns is fair, but only given the circumstances, as a multi-starrer film with a star director like Mohit Suri needs to open much bigger. Also, since the film is a sequel to a super-hit film, it should command a franchise value, which seemed missing in this case, as the film opened lower than the first part and by a margin of over 60 percent. Regardless, the opening has been better than star led films of Ranveer Singh, Tiger Shroff and Ajay Devgn, which were basically, dead on arrival. 
Have a look at the biggest openings secured by Bollywood movies this year:
Bhool Bhulaiyaa 2 – Rs. 13.50 cr
Bachchhan Paandey – Rs. 12.30 cr
Prithviraj – Rs. 10.50 cr
SHamshera – Rs. 10 cr
Gangubai Kathiawadi – Rs. 9.60 cr
JugJugg Jeeyo – Rs. 8 cr
Ek Villain Returns – Rs. 6.50 cr
Bollywood would expect to cover lost ground in the last five months, so that the year can end on a satisfactory note. Probable contenders to enter this list are Raksha Bandhan, Laal Singh Chaddha, Liger, Brahmastra, Vikram Vedha, Ponniyin Selvan, Ram Setu, Thank God, Bhediya, Cirkus, Bhaijaan and a few other films. For the time being, the industry just has to try to pull crowds into theatres and develop the habit of going to cinemas, since that is extremely critical for the business of movies in the future.
