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The year 2024 presented a varied landscape for Hollywood, where substantial budgets did not necessarily result in significant box office returns.

Animated features dominated the market, with four films securing positions in the top 10 highest-grossing list. Additionally, nine out of the ten films were sequels, while the remaining entry was an adaptation of an established intellectual property.

Below is the list of the top 10 highest-grossing films in Hollywood:

1. Inside Out 2 – $1.69 billion
2. Deadpool & Wolverine – $1.33 billion
3. Despicable Me 4 – $969.36 million
4. Moana 2 – $717.80 million (Currently still in theaters)
5. Dune: Part Two – $714.44 million
6. Godzilla x Kong: The New Empire – $571.75 million
7. Kung Fu Panda 4 – $547.69 million
8. Wicked – $525.33 million (Currently still in theaters)
9. Venom: The Last Dance – $475.50 million (Approaching the end of its theatrical run).
10. 10. Beetlejuice Beetlejuice – $451.10 million

Among the Hollywood films set to be released soon, only Sonic the Hedgehog 3 and Mufasa: The Lion King appear to have a chance of securing a position in the top five. This outcome would likely result in Venom: The Last Dance and Beetlejuice Beetlejuice falling out of the top ten by year’s end.

It is also worth noting that several high-budget Hollywood productions, which were anticipated to perform exceptionally well at the box office, ultimately ended up being significant letdowns.

Here is a list of 11 high-budget Hollywood films that debuted with promising expectations but ultimately failed to meet them.

Argyle

Scheduled for release on February 2, 2024, Matthew Vaughn’s spy action Hollywood comedy proved to be a lackluster form of entertainment, further compounded by a deceptive marketing strategy that prominently featured Henry Cavill as a leading actor, despite his actual role being limited to a cameo.

Featuring performances by Sam Rockwell and Bryce Dallas Howard, Argyle was produced with an estimated budget of $200 million but managed to generate only $96 million in global box office revenue.

Madame Web

Released on February 12, 2024, as part of Sony’s Spider-Man Universe (SSU), Madame Web, which is inspired by a well-known Spider-Man supervillain, failed to make an impact. With a production budget of $100 million, the film garnered only $100.49 million, resulting in a financial disappointment in Hollywood.

The Fall Guy

Featuring Ryan Gosling and Emily Blunt, The Fall Guy, directed by David Leitch, was an entertaining film that had the potential for significant success. However, despite its $125 million budget, it managed to earn only $181.07 million at the global Hollywood box office.

IF

Directed by John Krasinski and starring Ryan Reynolds and Steve Carell among others, IF received moderate reviews but fell short at the box office, earning $190.30 million against a budget of $110 million.

Furiosa: A Mad Max Saga

It is unfortunate that Furiosa: A Mad Max Saga, one of the standout films of the year, underperformed at the box office. Directed by George Miller and featuring Anya Taylor-Joy and Chris Hemsworth in leading roles, the film had a budget of $168 million but concluded its theatrical run with a disappointing $173.77 million in global earnings.

Joker: Folie à Deux

As a sequel to the 2019 billion-dollar hit, Joker 2 received mixed reactions and ultimately generated only $206.40 million on a $200 million budget.

Borderlands

The video game adaptation directed by Eli Roth, featuring Cate Blanchett, Kevin Hart, and Jamie Lee Curtis, had a production budget ranging from $110 to $120 million. However, it only garnered $32 million at the global box office.

Megalopolis

Francis Ford Coppola, the esteemed filmmaker, directed the self-financed Megalopolis, a project he had envisioned for decades. Unfortunately, the film received unfavorable reviews upon its release and earned merely $13.86 million against a budget of $120 million.

Fly Me to the Moon

Directed by Greg Berlanti, Fly Me to the Moon starred Scarlett Johansson and Channing Tatum, set during the Apollo 11 mission. With a budget of $100 million, the film managed to collect only $42.22 million worldwide.

Red One

Featuring Dwayne Johnson, Chris Evans, Lucy Liu, and JK Simmons, Red One is a high-budget Christmas film that was originally intended for direct-to-OTT release but was later shifted to theaters, where it underperformed despite positive audience feedback. The film, now available for streaming on Prime Video, reportedly had a budget exceeding $250 million and earned only $175.06 million at the global box office.

Kraven the Hunter

In Sony’s Spider-Man Universe, the only films that have achieved significant box office success are the three Venom installments: Venom, Venom: Let There Be Carnage, and Venom: The Last Dance. In contrast, other spin-offs centered on Spider-Man villains, such as Madame Web, Morbius, and the recent Kraven the Hunter, have performed poorly. The film starring Aaron Taylor-Johnson has only made $26 million globally against a budget of $110 million. Although it is still in theaters, it is unlikely to reach $50 million by the conclusion of its Hollywood box office run.

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Another significant achievement has been reached by Allu Arjun and Sukumar with their blockbuster pan-India action drama, Pushpa 2: The Rule. On its 15th day of release, the film made history by entering the exclusive Rs 1,500 crore club. Achieving this remarkable milestone in just 14 days, The Rule has become the fastest Indian film to attain this prestigious status.

Pushpa 2: Fastest to enter Rs 1,500 Cr club

With a total gross of an impressive Rs 1,508 crore, Pushpa 2: The Rule now ranks just behind the two highest-grossing Indian films of all time, Aamir Khan’s Dangal (Rs 2,070.30 crore) and Baahubali: The Conclusion (Rs 1,786.06 crore). While it may seem unlikely for Pushpa 2 to surpass Baahubali 2’s lifetime earnings, the film must excel in international markets in the coming days to challenge Dangal’s substantial lifetime revenue.

The film features prominent performances by Mollywood star Fahadh Faasil and Rashmika Mandanna in leading roles, while young actress Sreeleela captivates audiences with her performance in the Kissik dance number. The music for this production, a collaboration between Mythri Movie Makers and Sukumar Writings, has been composed by Devi Sri Prasad.

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Nasdaq-listed IT services giant Accenture has revised its annual revenue growth forecast for fiscal year 2025 to a range of 4-7%, an increase from the previous estimate of 3-6%. This adjustment is primarily due to a diminished adverse effect from foreign exchange fluctuations, which are now anticipated to be around 0.5%, a significant decrease from the earlier forecast of 1.5%.

Accenture’s performance and future outlook hold particular importance for India, where more than 40% of its global workforce, totaling nearly 800,000 employees, is located. The company’s results frequently act as a barometer for the Indian IT industry, which closely monitors Accenture’s trends as a reflection of global demand. As Indian IT leaders prepare for their Q3 FY25 earnings announcements in January, Accenture’s Q1 results underscore vital growth areas, notably the robust demand for generative AI solutions.

Accenture announced a revenue of $17.7 billion for the first quarter, marking an 8% increase from the previous quarter. The company’s operating margin improved to 16.7%, reflecting a rise of 170 basis points compared to the last quarter. New bookings reached $18.7 billion, with contributions of $9.2 billion from consulting services and $9.5 billion from managed services. Significantly, generative AI accounted for $1.2 billion of the new bookings in Q1, indicating a sequential increase of $200 million.

Accenture follows a financial year that runs from September to August.

Domestic IT companies, especially those concentrating on emerging technologies, are poised to gain from the heightened demand for generative AI. Analysts suggest that Indian firms may experience a positive impact from Accenture’s investments in AI-enhanced client transformation strategies.

Regionally, Accenture’s revenue in North America rose to $8.73 billion in Q1, while revenues from Europe, the Middle East, and Africa (EMEA) climbed to $6.41 billion. Other regions also experienced growth. In terms of industry sectors, the products segment increased to $5.43 billion, with significant advancements noted in health and public services as well as financial services.

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