Maddock Films and Dinesh Vijan: The Disruptors Who Made Bollywood History with ₹1,300 Crores in 2024

Mumbai: The year 2024 was ruled by Dinesh Vijan’s Maddock Films delivering blockbuster hits like Munjya, Stree 2 and Teri Baaton Mein Aisa Uljha Jiya. In a period of just one year, the production house raked in a staggering ₹1,300 crores at the box office, despite working with a modest ₹150 crore budget. Since the time of its inception, Maddock have consistently used unconventional story-telling and reshaped the narratives for all kinds of stories. Their success extended to OTT platforms as well, impactful releases such as Sector 36 and Murder Mubarak thus proving their ability to cater to a varied, diverse and evolving audience. Maddocks films journey of breaking into Bollywood has been a story of innovative storytelling.

Maddock Films has successfully been able to carve out a niche in the genre of horror-comedy thus making a remarkable impact, this has also been explored by many other filmmakers with Maddock leading the game at the forefront and bringing success strides in the industry. With blockbuster films like Munjya and Stree 2, they have set high standards that content reigns supreme. Munjya emerged as the supreme hit of 2024 surpassing the Rs. 100 cr milestone.  Meanwhile, Stree 2 shattered multiple box-office records, grossing approximately ₹900 crore worldwide. Together, Stree (2018), Stree 2 (2024), Munjya (2024), and Bhediya (2022) form a cohesive and expansive horror-comedy universe. A Maddock film has carved a niche for itself by producing a wide array of films across diverse genres thus showcasing its commitment to break the conventional in Bollywood and has definitely dared to be different.  

When asked if it’s fair to refer to Maddock as the Marvel of Bollywood’s horror-comedy genre, trade analyst Atul Mohan responded to this saying that, “Absolutely. They’ve created an impressive cinematic universe. No one could have imagined that such a universe could exist. If there can be a world for humans, then surely there can be one for ghosts too.” Senior trade journalist, Taran Adarsh responded to this saying “In the past, we often spoke about Yash Raj Films, Excel Entertainment, and Dharma Productions, but Maddock Films has consistently distinguished itself. It has become a formidable player in the industry.”

The producer has also received positive feedback from both the exhibitors and distributors. Distributor Raj Bansal also has praised the production house for popularizing the horror-comedy genre. Dinesh Vijan and Maddock Films have garnered immense praise from leading trade journalists for their unprecedented success in 2024. Celebrated critic Taran Adarsh, a senior trade journalist, described Stree 2 as the "Sholay moment" for Vijan, a defining milestone in his career and as the biggest film in Hindi Cinema. Trade analyst Atul Mohan also lauded the studio’s groundbreaking efforts, comparing Maddock Films to the "Marvel of Bollywood’s horror-comedy genre." He remarked, “Yes, definitely. They’ve crafted a fantastic cinematic universe. Nobody could have imagined a universe like this. If a world for humans can exist, why not one for ghosts too?”

Dinesh Vijan and Maddock Films continue to captivate the audiences with their unique films and star-studded casts which viewers eagerly embrace and look forward to. Their next project, the highlight anticipated period drama Chhaava, is all set to debut in the big screens in December 2024. Following that they will release Sky Force, starring Akshay Kumar, in 2025.

Maddock has been following a new approach of not just following trends but creating new ones, combined with a fearless commitment to unconventional and daring projects which has indirectly positioned them as the new favorite of Bollywood. They can definitely inject their unique style into period dramas and star-studded films as they have with horror comedies