Sequels were once Bollywood’s safest weapon. Known brands, built-in audiences, and nostalgia almost ensured box office success. But in 2025, that formula cracked. Big-ticket sequels arrived with noise, scale and money only to be met with audience fatigue. Box office trends make it clear: viewers stopped settling for repetition and the franchise obsession paid the price. Year Ender 2025: From Hina Khan-Rocky Jaiswal to Avika Gor-Milind Chandwani; 8 Television Couples Who Said ‘I Do’ This Year and Won Hearts With Their Dreamy Weddings (View Posts)

‘War 2’ – Watch Video

The biggest example of excess was War 2. Marketed as a full-blown event film, the Hrithik Roshan vs Jr NTR face-off generated huge buzz. The film collected around INR 365 crore worldwide, but its reported INR 400 crore budget dulled the achievement. Even more alarming was the fact that it failed to beat the lifetime collections of War (2019), raising serious questions about franchise fatigue.

‘Housefull 5’ – Watch Video

The multistarrer comedy earned INR 364.35 crore worldwide, which looked impressive at first glance. However, with a massive INR 250 crore budget, profitability remained out of reach. Despite Akshay Kumar’s return to slapstick, a cruise-ship setting, and even two versions (5A and 5B), audiences and critics slammed the film for lazy writing, crude humour, and regressive portrayals.

‘Baaghi 4’ – Watch Video

The fall was sharper, once a reliable action franchise, the fourth installment collapsed to just INR 77 crore worldwide. The repetitive action template that once worked had clearly run out of steam, making this the franchise’s lowest point.

‘Son of Sardaar 2’ – Watch Video

Even worse was Son of Sardaar 2, released after a 13-year gap. Despite a INR 130 crore budget, Ajay Devgn's film earned only INR 65.75 crore worldwide, emerging as one of 2025’s biggest loss-makers.

‘Mastiii 4’ – Watch Video

Adult comedy also failed to connect. Mastiii 4 barely crossed INR 15 crore worldwide against a INR 40 crore budget, confirming that this genre has lost its theatrical audience.

Bollywood Sequels Earn Big but Fail To Deliver Profits

Some sequels did manage decent numbers but struggled with inflated costs. Jolly LLB 3 earned INR 170.8 crore worldwide, yet its INR 120 crore budget reduced profits. Raid 2 collected INR 173 crore worldwide, surpassing the original’s numbers but missing its profitability due to a higher budget. Sitaare Zameen Par crossed INR 267 crore globally, but couldn’t match the original’s exceptional ROI. A few films like Kesari Chapter 2 INR 145 crore worldwide and De De Pyaar De 2 INR 111.53 crore worldwide offered limited relief, while Karan Johar's Dhadak 2 ended as a disappointment with just INR 31.5 crore worldwide, despite critical praise.

(The above story first appeared on LatestLY on Dec 17, 2025 06:55 PM IST. For more news and updates on politics, world, sports, entertainment and lifestyle, log on to our website latestly.com).