Laal Singh Chaddha to Runway 34: 5 Box office duds of 2022 that found success on OTT

After a long pause due to the pandemic, the Bollywood industry is slowly and steadily getting back on track in terms of film releases. A lot of films released in 2022 were highly affected by various factors including the cancel culture and boycott trend. Films like Laal Singh Chaddha starring Aamir Khan and Kareena Kapoor Khan, Jersey featuring Shahid Kapoor and Mrunal Thakur, and Runway 34 starring Ajay Devgn, Amitabh Bachchan and Rakul Preet Singh suffered at the box office. Cinema lovers also chose to skip theatrical releases because of the growing OTT content consumption. OTT platforms expanded vastly during the pandemic and kept the audience glued to the screens according to their own comfort. Interestingly, the films that couldn't attract cine-goers to the theatres were highly praised after they got released on OTT platforms. We have a list of films that couldn't perform better at the box office in 2022 but went on to win hearts after releasing on digital platforms:

Laal Singh Chaddha

Aamir Khan, Kareena Kapoor Khan, Mona Singh and Naga Chaitanya starrer Laal Singh Chaddha was the official remake of Tom Hanks' Forrest Gump. The film faced a clash with Akshay Kumar and Bhumi Pednekar's Raksha Bandha. Both films ended up doing poor business at the box office. Despite great reviews, positive word of mouth and solid performances, Aamir's film failed to impress the audience. Aamir clarified that his film would release on OTT after six months of its theatrical release. But the makers surprised everyone as it got released on Netflix on 5th October. Since then, social media is filled with praising comments. A lot of people are going gaga over Aamir and Kareena's performances. They are even gushing over Shah Rukh Khan's special appearance in the film. 'Why did this film not work at the box office?' such questions are being asked by the netizens on social media. Well, the sweet film is finally getting its due!

Jersey

Shahid Kapoor returned to the big screens with Jersey after his raging performance in Kabir Singh. The film also starred Mrunal Thakur and Pankaj Kapur in key roles. It got postponed multiple times and it played the spoilsport. This was an official remake of the Telugu film of the same name. The original film went on to garner the National Award for Best Feature Film. Everyone had high hopes for Shahid's film too. But it turned out to be a disappointing affair at the box office. The film was later released on Netflix and the audience was all praise for Shahid's classy performance.

Runway 34

Ajay Devgn, Amitabh Bachchan and Rakul Preet Singh's Runway 34 left people intrigued with its content. But it still couldn't attract the audience to the theatres. It went on to make headlines after it got released on Amazon Prime. The viewers were highly impressed with the visuals and gripping content. Reportedly, it broke records and went on to become one of the most-watched films on the OTT platform.

Badhaai Do

Rajkummar Rao and Bhumi Pednekar starrer Badhaai Do might have won hearts with its progressive content but it couldn't manage to pull the audience. It is only after its OTT premiere, the film got appreciation on social media. The audience was in love with the film. Chum Darang, who essayed the role of Bhumi's love interest in the film, grabbed a lot of attention. Everyone was seen appreciating her for her unconventional debut.

Anek

Trust Ayushmann Khurrana and he will never leave you disappointed! His film Anek, helmed by Anubhav Sinha, was a huge hit on an OTT platform. Again, the film was affected at the box office but the OTT release played a huge part. After the digital release, it was discussed on social media. It also starred Andrea Kevichusa, who hailed from the Northeast region. She was seen in a powerful role in the film.

 

Also Read | Aamir Khan's Laal Singh Chaddha streams on Netflix within 2 months of theatrical release