Post-COVID-19 pandemic, box office success has become a tricky game for Bollywood, as the majority of films failed to even perform decently at the box office, whether they had big actors or not. This has certainly raised the question: does Star Power still matter in Bollywood?
Well, the answer is certainly yes; Star Power still matters in Bollywood and may guarantee attention, but it is no longer a guarantee for box office success.
Star Power in today’s time works in a way that big actors like Shah Rukh Khan, Salman Khan, or others still bring massive crowds on the first day or even the first weekend, with fans rushing to see their favorites on the big screen. This also serves as an advantage for the initial ticket sales. However, this advantage lasts only for the first few days, and the audience stops going to the theatres by Monday if the film lacks a strong story or meaning.
With the evolving ecosystem, in Bollywood, content has become King. Now, audiences are increasingly willing to look beyond familiar faces to judge a film by its story, performances, execution, and overall experience.
Word of mouth plays a big role nowadays. This is because, as soon as a film is released, people share their reviews online, which affects sales. And if the reviews are negative, the film fails despite featuring a big star.
Also, the audience craves freshness, and if makers present even a low-budget film with new faces and it resonates with the audience through a good story and execution, the film does well.
The other factor that has affected audience attendance at theatres is high ticket prices. The rising ticket prices have affected choices, as families prefer to spend money on a movie they find worth the price rather than on a film just attached to a big name. Also, all these films eventually release on OTT platforms, so many wait for that moment too.
If we look at the 2026 stats, several big stars films failed at the box office including Sanjay Dutt starrer Aakhri Sawal, Bobby Deol starrer Bandar, Manoj Bajpayee starrer Governor, Kangana Ranaut starrer Bharat Bhagya Viddhaata, Dharmendra and Jaideep Ahlawat starrer Ikkis and many others.
Most recently, the big-budget film Alpha also underperformed at the box office despite starring Alia Bhatt, Sharvari, Anil Kapoor and Bobby Deol. Similarly, the recently released film Batwara 1947, made on a large scale, failed despite starring the iconic Sunny Deol, Preity Zinta, and Shabana Azmi.
In contrast, the star power continues to bring massive openings when the project connects with their audience, like Yash’s Toxic, for instance, which opened to over 100 crore, proving that genuine fan following remains a formidable theatrical force.
So the real change, therefore, is not the death of stardom but the end of blind faith in it. Today, a star can bring audiences to theatres—but only the film can convince them to stay.
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