Even before Bodyguard, the latest Salman Khan-starrer, was released in theatres, it had earned the “blockbuster” tag. The only thing left to see was if it would cross the Rs 100 crore mark and how soon it would achieve that. The reason for such anxiety was not related to financial gains alone. It was also about the degree of success that the film would achive. “Rs 100 crore collection is the new benchmark of a Bollywood hit,” feels Atul Agnihotri, producer of Bodyguard. “In the last couple of years, the industry has seen several films surpassing the Rs 100 crore mark. Two of them have been Salman’s. So we had to promote Bodyguard right, because I was sitting on a hat-trick ball,” he adds. The Rs 100 crore phenomenon at the box-office started with Ghajini, which raked in almost Rs 140 crore, thanks to Aamir Khan pumping his biceps and seeking revenge. The actor did it again with 3 Idiots, which earned yet-to-be-matched Rs 315 crore. However, Dabangg (Rs 170 crore) and Golmaal 3 (Rs 110 crore) kept the Rs 100 crore party going in 2010.

The year 2011 too has contributed to it with Ready (Rs 130 crore), Singham (Rs 107 crore) and Bodyguard (Rs 200 crore) enjoying an excellent run. In the coming months, Ra.One and Don 2 —which are releasing on October 26 and December 23 respectively — are expected to do similar business. “However, whether they are a hit will also be determined by their production costs,” says trade analyst Taran Adarsh. In fact, with Ra.One’s production cost crossing Rs 140 crore, the immediate task for its team is to recover the amount and make profit.