12th Fail to The Kerala Story: 5 films that were unexpected hits at the box office in 2023

Here's a look at five films that unexpectedly performed well at the box office in 2023:

Inspired by the life of IPS officer Manoj Kumar Sharma, 12th Fail, starring Vikrant Massey in the lead, was a major box-office success upon its release on October 27. Made on a budget of around ₹20 crore, the Vidhu Vinod Chopra directorial minted over ₹66 crore during its run in the theatres. Those who missed the chance to watch this inspiring tale on the silver screen can still see it on Disney+ Hotstar.

The Kerala Story, helmed by Sudipto Sen, was a major box office success and collected around ₹241 crore in India. Made on a budget of mere ₹20 crore, the Adah Sharma-starrer perfectly struck a chord with moviegoers on its release in May 2023.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ziK8HzNk04A&ab_channel=MaddockFilms

This mid-budgeted film, starring Vicky Kaushal and Sara Ali Khan, garnered around ₹112.5 crore upon its release on June 2. Directed by Laxman Utekar, Zara Hatke Zara Bachke revolves around the journey of a middle-class couple from Indore who want to get a house of their own via the flagship scheme, Pradhan Mantri Awas Yojana.

Fukrey 3, the third installment in the famous Fukrey franchise, was a commercial hit and collected around ₹113.25 crores. Directed by Mrighdeep Singh Lamba, the film saw Pulkit Samrat, Richa Chadha, Manjot Singh, and Varun Sharma reprising their roles from the previous films. It hit theatres across the country on September 28.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Y6ZKXqM7HNQ&ab_channel=Viacom18Studios

Despite facing a major clash with Sunny Deol’s Gadar 2, this Akshay Kumar and Pankaj Tripathi-starrer managed to make ₹151.16 crore in India. The film, directed by Amit Rai, revolves around sex education in India.