On the back of a bumper June, which bolstered the box office collection for the first half of 2024, July was expected to continue the momentum. Instead, it closed out as the second-worst month of the year (ahead of April) so far, tallying Rs 593 crore, in spite of three films surpassing the Rs 100 crore mark. Only one Hindi film crossed the Rs 50 crore mark in July, making it the most top-heavy month of the calendar, as per the India Box Office Report by Ormax Media.

Deadpool & Wolverine, with the formidable pairing of Ryan Reynolds and Hugh Jackman, dominated proceedings at the box office, roping in Rs 164 crore. This makes the latest Marvel movie the highest-grossing Hollywood film in India in 2024. Raayan, a Tamil action drama helmed by Dhanush, finished in second place for July, with Rs 116 crore — the highest for a Tamil film this year. Completing the podium was Kamal Haasan’s Indian 2, another Tamil action flick, which accumulated Rs 104 crore. Among them, the top three films of the month contributed 65 per cent of July’s overall collection.

Bad Newz, with the trio of Vicky Kaushal, Tripti Dimri and Ammy Virk, gave Bollywood its only source of good news for the month, bringing in Rs 78 crore, the only Hindi film to cross Rs 50 crore in July. For all its impressive action set-pieces, Nikhil Nagesh Bhat’s Kill misfired at the box office, taking fifth place with a haul of Rs 31 crore.

A drab July means that the cumulative box office collection for the first seven months of 2024 stands at Rs 5,598 crore, which is four per cent below the same period in 2023. Not a single release from July broke into the top five highest-grossing films of the year, a list still led by Kalki 2898 AD (Rs 777 crore).

As for the language share for 2024, Hindi still shows the way, with 35 per cent, followed by Telugu at 21 per cent, and Malayalam at 14 per cent.