SRK’s ‘King’, Ranveer’s ‘Dhurandhar 2’: Bollywood pins hope on big-budget releases in 2026

After a mixed performance at the box office in 2025, Bollywood is looking to bounce back with several highly anticipated releases in the coming year. Major titles such as ‘Ramayana’ and ‘King’, led by top stars, are generating significant buzz. Ranbir Kapoor, whose last blockbuster was the controversial ‘Animal’ in 2023, is set for a major comeback with ‘Ramayana,’ touted as one of the most expensive Indian films ever produced.

He will also appear alongside Alia Bhatt and Vicky Kaushal in Sanjay Leela Bhansali's drama ‘Love and War.’ The new year started on a positive note for the Hindi film industry, with Sriram Raghavan's war biopic ‘Ikkis’ earning strong reviews from critics, though its box office performance is yet to be seen.

‘Ikkis’ will be followed by another war drama in Sunny Deol-led ‘Border 2’, which, like Sriram Raghavan's film, revolves around the events of 1971 India-Pakistan war. But the film, directed by Anurag Singh, and also starring Varun Dhawan, Diljit Dosanjh and Ahaan Shetty, will be different in treatment and story. Aditya Dhar's ‘Dhurandhar’ has continued to perform well at the box office in the fourth week of its release. It has become  one of the highest-grossing Hindi films ever by earning over Rs 700 crore in India and over 1,000 crore globally.

The second part, which has already been shot, will be released on March 20. This seems to be the year of war movies as Salman Khan's ‘Battle of Galwan’ is also lined up for its release, and just recently released the movie's first trailer. Inspired by real incidents, the movie is slated to release on April 17.

Distributor-exhibitor Akshay Rathi, who owns theatres in Chhattisgarh, Maharashtra, and Madhya Pradesh, told PTI, that he is hoping that there will be a blockbuster hit every month in 2026. "It's an exciting line-up. We've big-ticket money spinners, and 2026 could turn out to be one of the most historic years in the history of Indian cinema. There's a great chance that ‘Dhurandhar 2' might become the highest opening Hindi film of all time, given the euphoria for part one.

"Films like Love and War' seem quite exciting, and Ramayana' with a great cast in the form of Ranbir Kapoor and Yash, and others will light up the box office in Diwali. We are hoping Salman's ‘Battle of Galwan' will also create magic at the box office, Rathi told PTI. Fans are also awaiting Shah Rukh Khan's return to the big screen after his spectacular run at the box office in 2023 with ‘Pathaan’, ‘Hawan’ and ‘Dunki’. ‘King’, his next that reunites him with ‘Pathaan’ director Siddharth Anand, does not have an official release date yet, but it is expected to arrive in theatres this year.

The audience is also looking forward to Sidharth Malhotra-starrer ‘Vvan - Force of the Forrest,’ David Dhawan-directed ‘Hai Jawani Toh Ishq Hona Hai’ among potential hits. Trade analyst Girish Wankhede said 2026 will see franchise films dominate the box office alongside standalone movies like ‘King,’ and ‘Battle of Galwan.’ "In 2025, we've had 31 films crossing Rs. 100 crores at the box office across different languages, and this year the number of such films will be more due to franchise movies, standalone films and some surprise hits.

"The magic of ‘Dhurandhar' will continue in 2026 as it has set a tone with its storytelling and characters. After Dhurandhar 2', another big release is Ramayana', it's coming out in Diwali, it has a great star cast and director, Nitesh Tiwari. King' and Battle of Galwan' both are much-anticipated films, both are expected to do big numbers, Wankhede told PTI. Deol has another major release after "Border 2" in "Lahore 1947", and then there is ‘Alpha’, the Alia Bhatt-Sharvari starrer spy film from YRF.

Ajay Devgn has already announced that he is returning with the third part of ‘Drishyam 3’ on October 2, while Akshay Kumar will be back with ‘Welcome to the Jungle’ in December. Rani Mukerji's ‘Mardaani 3’ is releasing on February 27, and Rajinikanth's ‘Jailer 2’ is expected to build on the success of its predecessor with its June release.