Bhubaneswar: Ranveer Singh has turned 2026 into a year of extraordinary box-office dominance. Akshay Kumar has shown remarkable recovery. Emraan Hashmi has staged an unexpected comeback. But for Alia Bhatt, Shahid Kapoor and Ayushmann Khurrana, the year has delivered a very different message.

Bollywood's 2026 box office is beginning to look less like a coronation of established stars and more like an audition.

The numbers tell a fascinating story. At the top sits Ranveer Singh's Dhurandhar 2, which, according to Koimoi's latest figures, has stormed to ₹1,186.32 crore net in India and ₹1,850.85 crore worldwide. It is not merely the year's biggest Hindi success; it is operating on a different scale altogether. Koimoi categorises the film as a Super Duper Hit.

And that changes the conversation around Ranveer.

Ranveer Singh: From star to franchise force?

Dhurandhar 2 has given Ranveer something more valuable than a ₹1,000-crore-plus number: proof that he can anchor a gigantic theatrical franchise.

The first Dhurandhar had already delivered a Super Duper Hit verdict in 2025, with ₹894.49 crore net in India. Its sequel has gone substantially further.

The significance for Ranveer is therefore not simply that he has had a hit.

It is that the Dhurandhar brand and Ranveer's screen persona now appear commercially intertwined.

His future, consequently, could increasingly involve larger-scale action franchises and event cinema rather than depending solely on the traditional star vehicle.

Akshay Kumar: The comeback is no longer just a headline

If Ranveer represents the year's explosive ascent, Akshay Kumar represents the year's recovery story.

Bhooth Bangla finished with ₹199.23 crore net in India and ₹292.64 crore worldwide. Koimoi gave it a Plus verdict and described it as Akshay's second-highest worldwide grosser post-COVID, behind Housefull 5.

Then came Welcome To The Jungle, which stands at ₹137.93 crore net in India and carries a Plus verdict.

That makes the Akshay story particularly interesting.

One film can be dismissed as a franchise advantage. Two sizeable theatrical performers begin to suggest something broader: audiences are still willing to turn up for Akshay when the film delivers a recognisable theatrical proposition.

His future may therefore be less about sheer volume and more about choosing the right combination of franchise, comedy, nostalgia and event value.

Emraan Hashmi: The comeback nobody could ignore

Perhaps the year's most intriguing individual turnaround is Emraan Hashmi.

Awarapan 2, made at an estimated ₹45 crore, collected about ₹156.12 crore net in India and ₹217.64 crore worldwide. Koimoi calculates an ROI of roughly 247% and gives it a Super Duper Hit verdict.

That is remarkable because Awarapan 2 did not arrive with the machinery of a ₹200- or ₹300-crore mega-franchise.

It arrived with nostalgia, a cult legacy and Emraan Hashmi.

The lesson for his future is potentially important: the actor's commercial relevance may be strongest when he returns to emotionally charged, music-driven or franchise-linked material that connects with the audience's memory of him.

Ajay Devgn: Still commercially relevant, but the numbers tell a quieter story

Ajay Devgn's Dhamaal 4 has reached about ₹177.92 crore net in India and ₹236.42 crore worldwide, earning a Plus verdict.

That is not the kind of explosive number seen with Dhurandhar 2, but it demonstrates something different.

Ajay continues to benefit from franchise recognition.

The interesting question for his next phase is therefore not whether audiences know Ajay Devgn. They clearly do. It is how much of the theatrical pull belongs to Ajay the star versus Ajay inside an established franchise ecosystem.

Sunny Deol: The nostalgia engine still works

Border 2 delivered ₹362.76 crore net in India and ₹485.3 crore worldwide, according to Koimoi. But its final verdict was Plus, against a reported ₹275-crore budget.

This is a fascinating distinction.

A ₹360-crore Indian collection sounds enormous. Yet the economics matter.

Border 2 shows that star power can generate a huge opening and substantial lifetime revenue without automatically producing a blockbuster-level return on investment.

For Sunny Deol, therefore, the theatrical proposition remains powerful, particularly when nostalgia and patriotic franchise value combine. But the economics of future projects will matter just as much as the headline collection.

Alia Bhatt: The franchise tag wasn't enough

Alpha was supposed to be a major moment: Alia Bhatt leading YRF's first female spy-action film, alongside Sharvari, Bobby Deol and Anil Kapoor.

Instead, it finished with ₹59.29 crore net in India and ₹99.07 crore worldwide against a reported ₹100-crore budget.

Koimoi classified it as Losing.

That makes Alpha particularly revealing.

The film had:

• a major star;

• a major studio;

• a major franchise universe;

• an action-spy positioning;

• and a reported ₹100-crore budget.

Yet the theatrical recovery was only about 59%.

The implication for Alia's future is not that her star power has disappeared. Rather, the market is showing that the packaging around a star cannot substitute for audience connection.

Her next choices could therefore matter more than ever: content, pairing, genre and the scale of the project will all be under greater scrutiny.

Shahid Kapoor: ₹100 crore, but still a Losing verdict

Cocktail 2, starring Shahid Kapoor with Kriti Sanon and Rashmika Mandanna, collected ₹104.53 crore net in India and ₹166.29 crore worldwide.

Yet Koimoi classified it as Losing.

That is one of 2026's clearest reminders that crossing ₹100 crore no longer automatically means success.

The budget determines the economics.

For Shahid, the message is consequently more nuanced than “₹100 crore is a failure.” His theatrical value remains substantial, but the project needs to be financially calibrated. A star can collect ₹100 crore and still leave the trade disappointed.

Ayushmann Khurrana: The middle zone is becoming dangerous

Pati Patni Aur Woh Do, starring Ayushmann Khurrana, Sara Ali Khan, Rakul Preet Singh and Wamiqa Gabbi, finished at ₹59.29 crore net in India and was classified as Losing by Koimoi.

For Ayushmann, this is significant because his brand historically depended on a very specific equation:

unusual subject + middle-class relatability + controlled budget + strong word of mouth.

When that equation weakens, the star's theatrical advantage becomes less obvious.

The future challenge is therefore finding another distinctive audience proposition rather than simply moving into conventional star vehicles.

The biggest story may actually be outside Bollywood's traditional star system

The 2026 numbers also reveal a broader industry shift.

Hanuman Ansh has collected ₹284.68 crore net in India on an estimated ₹1.8-crore budget, according to Koimoi's profitability table. It is classified as Super Duper Hit.

Mirzapur The Movie has reached ₹225.57 crore and carries a Super Hit verdict.

And Toxic, the Hindi version, has reached ₹143.92 crore, showing the continuing ability of South Indian stars and franchises to penetrate the Hindi market.

So Bollywood's 2026 lesson is not merely about Ranveer versus Alia or Akshay versus another star.

It is about where the audience is now finding reasons to leave home and buy a cinema ticket.

2026 Star Box Office Snapshot

Star	Major 2026 film	India net	Koimoi verdict	What it signals
Ranveer Singh	Dhurandhar 2	₹1,186.32 cr	Super Duper Hit	Franchise-scale star power
Sunny Deol	Border 2	₹362.76 cr	Plus	Strong nostalgia, but high costs matter
Akshay Kumar	Bhooth Bangla	₹199.23 cr	Plus	Significant theatrical recovery
Ajay Devgn	Dhamaal 4	₹177.92 cr	Plus	Franchise pull remains useful
Emraan Hashmi	Awarapan 2	₹156.12 cr	Super Duper Hit	Cult nostalgia can revive a star
Shahid Kapoor	Cocktail 2	₹104.53 cr	Losing	₹100 cr is no longer enough
Ayushmann Khurrana	Pati Patni Aur Woh Do	₹59.29 cr	Losing	Need for a stronger differentiated proposition
Alia Bhatt	Alpha	₹59.29 cr	Losing	Franchise + star packaging failed to translate

Figures and verdicts are from Koimoi's September 24, 2026 update; box-office estimates are not independently verified by Koimoi.

The real 2026 verdict: Stardom is becoming conditional

The old Bollywood equation was simple:

Big star → big opening → big film.

2026 is producing a more complicated formula:

Big star + right franchise + audience proposition + controlled economics = theatrical power.

Ranveer's Dhurandhar 2 demonstrates the spectacular upside when all the pieces align. Akshay's 2026 run suggests that an established star can regain momentum through the right commercial vehicles. Emraan's Awarapan 2 shows that even a star who has spent years outside the industry's top commercial bracket can return through the right emotional and nostalgic connection.

But Alpha and Cocktail 2 demonstrate the other side.

A star's name, an expensive production and a recognisable franchise do not automatically guarantee theatrical profitability.

And that may be the most important change in Bollywood's star system.

The audience is no longer merely buying the star. Increasingly, it is buying the reason to watch that particular star in that particular film.

That could make the next phase of Bollywood less about the absolute size of a star and more about how intelligently that star chooses the films that carry his or her name.
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