For over three decades, the three Khans have been the gold standard at the Bollywood box office. Collectively, Shah Rukh Khan, Salman Khan, and Aamir Khan have delivered over 80 hits. Almost every year, from 1994 onwards, a film headlined by them has been the highest-grossing Hindi film. But there was a time-almost a decade-long phase-when their hegemony was broken, and a fourth actor not only outgrossed them at the box office, but also gave more hits.
The only actor who beat the Khans at the box office
Akshay Kumar had a prolific run at the box office from 2007-19, which catapulted him to the top of the box office gross in Indian cinema history. The actor has appeared in close to 130 films in his career, which have collectively grossed a staggering ₹9000 crore at the box office worldwide. This figure is higher than what even the three Khans have achieved. Shah Rukh's films have grossed just over ₹8000 crore worldwide, while Salman follows at ₹8000 crore himself. Aamir, who has been more selective with his film choices over the last two decades, is a distant fourth with ₹6500 crore worldwide gross.
Due to the prolific nature of his film work, Akshay has also tasted more box office success. Over the course of his career, he has appeared in 40 hits, including 14 superhits and blockbusters. In comparison, Salman Khan has 38 hits, Shah Rukh 34, while Aamir again brings up the rear with 21. The three Khans, however, have a better success rate, with each seeing 45-50% of their total films being successful. For Akshay, the success rate is around 30%.
When Akshay Kumar ruled the box office
{{/usCountry}}Due to the prolific nature of his film work, Akshay has also tasted more box office success. Over the course of his career, he has appeared in 40 hits, including 14 superhits and blockbusters. In comparison, Salman Khan has 38 hits, Shah Rukh 34, while Aamir again brings up the rear with 21. The three Khans, however, have a better success rate, with each seeing 45-50% of their total films being successful. For Akshay, the success rate is around 30%.
When Akshay Kumar ruled the box office
{{/usCountry}}The Khans were head and shoulders ahead of Akshay during his first decade in films. Till 1999, his films grossed ₹253 crore worldwide. But Salman Khan ( ₹751 crore), Shah Rukh Khan ( ₹740 crore), and Aamir Khan ( ₹360 crore) were miles ahead of him.
Akshay Kumar's golden run at the box office was between 2007 and 2019, when he delivered multiple hits each year. During this period, his films earned over ₹6400 crore at the box office. The three Khans were at around ₹4500-5500 crore each in the same time frame. This peak era included two successive years (2018-19) when Akshay grossed over ₹1000 crore at the box office, an unprecedented feat.
Akshay Kumar's recent box office record
After the pandemic, Akshay Kumar suffered a setback with back-to-back unsuccessful films at the box office. None of his films from 2021-23 worked. But the actor bounced back with OMG 2 in 2024. In 2025, both his releases - Sky Force and Kesari Chapter 2 - crossed ₹100 crore and have been labelled above average grossers.
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