India's highest-grossing film franchise made ₹2900 crore at box office; it's not Baahubali, Pushpa, Cop Universe, KGF

This film franchise has earned nearly ₹3000 crore at the box office, dwarfing even the earnings of Baahubali, Pushpa, and KGF film series.

Updated on: Jan 23, 2025, 12:08:33 IST

By Abhimanyu Mathur

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Indian cinema is new to the film franchise or cinematic universe model. In the West, sequels to films began as early as the 1930s and '40s. In India, barring the odd exception, the trend did not catch on till the 21st century. But in the 20 years since, film franchises have become a common presence among the year's top blockbusters. As universes and franchises galore in all industries, one has consistently churned out blockbusters and edged out ahead of the others. (Also read: Highest-grossing Indian film earned ₹4000 crore when adjusted for inflation; it's not Sholay, Dangal, Baahubali, or RRR)

A still from Tiger 3, part of the YRF Spy Universe.

India's highest-grossing film franchise

The YRF Spy Universe is the highest-grossing film franchise in India. The five released films from the series have collectively grossed around ₹2900 crore at the box office globally. This includes a then-record ₹1050 crore from Shah Rukh Khan-starrer Pathaan, alongside a combined ₹1366 crore from the three Tiger series films featuring Salman Khan. Hrithik Roshan-starrer War brings up the rear with a worldwide gross of ₹475 crore.

The YRF Spy Universe logo

The Universe, created by Yash Raj Films' top boss, Aditya Chopra, focuses on a bunch of super spies from India, each with their own standalone film. The franchise retroactively began with Ek Tha Tiger (2012). Tiger Zinda Hai and War followed this. However, while similar in themes, the films were not connected until the pandemic. The 2023 release Pathaan brought the universe together through crossovers and cameos. Tiger 3, released later that year, carried it forward.

How Spy Universe beat other Indian franchises

Till the Spy Universe took form, the highest-grossing Indian film franchise was Baahubali, which earned over ₹2300 crore with just two films. The Pushpa series has joined these two, earning over ₹2000 crore with two films. The KGF series ( ₹1500 crore) and Rohit Shetty's Cop Universe ( ₹1430 crore) complete the top five. Among these, only the Cop Universe has more than two films. YRF Spy Universe was helped by being multi-pronged and having different standalone films as part of a universe instead of depending upon a single film and its sequels. The Cop Universe could challenge it, but the superstardom of Shah Rukh and Salman Khan helped the Spy Universe soar ahead.

The future of YRF Spy Universe

The YRF Universe will look to cross the ₹3000-crore and even the ₹4000-crore barrier this year, as it has two big releases lined up. First up is War 2, which brings back Hrithik Roshan as Kabir as he faces off against Jr NTR. The pan-India appeal of the film means it could do great business at the box office when it releases in October. On December 25, YRF Spy Universe's first female-led film - Alpha - will hit the screens. The Shiv Rawail film stars Alia Bhatt and Sharvari.

ABOUT THE AUTHOR
Abhimanyu Mathur
Abhimanyu Mathur is Deputy Editor, Entertainment at Hindustan Times. With almost 15 years of experience in writing about everything from films and TV shows to cricket matches and elections, he inhales and exhales pop culture and news. Currently, he watches movies and TV shows and talks to celebrities for a living, while occasionally writing about them as well. A journalism graduate of Delhi College of Arts and Commerce, Delhi University, Abhimanyu began his career with Hindustan Times at the age of 20, swapping classrooms for newsrooms at an early age. He began his journey in the early days of digital journalism, later switching to the madness of print journalism. Work has led him to far off places like Japan and Jordan, as well as to the interiors of Haryana and the Indo-Pak border. He dabbled in city reporting in places like Meerut, Gurgaon, and Delhi, covered the Olympics and Cricket World Cups, before finding his calling in entertainment and lifestyle during the pandemic. A Rotten Tomatoes Certified Film Critic, he is equally at home covering stories on ground as he is interviewing celebrities and studios, and sometimes prefers to shepherd teams in delivering traffic through the day. Even as his role has evolved from reporter to supervisor over the years, his first love remains writing (and of late, talking on camera). With a good understanding of cinema and its trends, and a keen eye for detail, he continues to spark conversations around showbiz for readers around the world.Read More

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