Does Bollywood Earn More Than Hollywood
For this discussion, we used the WBI-R survey, conducted by Talents India for 2015 and 2016. The survey asked Bollywood actors and directors who they’d be willing to work within the next year.
The survey also asked in which movie they would be the most likely to make money. The fact that Hollywood stars are often the highest-paid actors in India is taken into consideration.
After that, a comparison is made between Bollywood and Hollywood. The survey included a comparison of movies and individual actors across two years, 2015 and 2016.
The overall survey covered 977 respondents. Jaya Bachchan is known to be paid less than her co-stars.
Are actors paid equally in Bollywood and Hollywood?
Both the films and the actors featured in the survey were ranked based on their overall perceived ‘emotional content’. Emotional content was ranked as ‘very emotional’, ‘mildly emotional’ and ‘not very emotional’.
Similarly, the overall ranking was decided based on the actors’ willingness to work with each other in the next year.
Bollywood and Hollywood actors who agreed to work together in the next year were placed in order of highest rank to lowest rank. However, there was a considerable difference in rank.
Though many of the actors mentioned their willingness to work with fellow actors from Bollywood, many chose to go the Hollywood way.
It might be because there are more opportunities for actors in Hollywood. But there are also many cases where actors of both countries are willing to work with each other.
Does paying the same amount for an acting job indicate equality?
The pay for an acting job is a contentious subject. Films and filmmakers, who pay the actors the same for the same job, have come under the scanner of many.
In 2010, public interest litigation was filed in the Delhi High Court alleging that Bollywood studios pay actors less than their true worth and demanding the producers of popular films to pay actors their ‘appropriate share’.
Some actors and filmmakers counter by saying that actors and filmmakers from the south face an easier life because of the market that Hollywood has created for them.
Also, the film industries of the south and Bollywood are not as big in terms of size.
Further, they claim, the economies of both the countries are so different that the cost of living of an actor of a Hrithik Roshan or a Shah Rukh Khan is different in both the countries.
How do the above explanations reconcile with the rise of top box office grossing films in Bollywood compared to Hrithik Roshan?
Does the fact that two of the top ten highest-grossing films are released by the same production house (starship and Hrithik Roshan) confirm the concept of parity in Bollywood, while Hollywood actors like Hrithik Roshan get paid vastly more than their counterparts in Hollywood?
To solve this riddle, we need to examine the different trends between the two countries.
Do some actors, like Hrithik Roshan, who starred in the top ten most profitable films in 2016, are paid much more than their counterparts in Hollywood?
Are some of the actors, who did not feature in the top ten, paid relatively less than their counterparts in Hollywood?
The Hollywood films which feature most often in the top ten list of the highest-grossing films of 2016, according to Box Office India, include the films starring Dwayne Johnson and Vin Diesel.
These are films with paid actors like Baywatch, xXx: Return of Xander Cage, Deadpool 2, Baywatch and Fate of the Furious.
The combined gross of these ten films in India in 2016 was Rs 4,222 crore.
The Hollywood films which feature in the top ten list of the highest-grossing films of 2015, according to Box Office India, include the films starring Dwayne Johnson, Chris Pratt, and Vin Diesel.
These are films with paid actors like Fast and Furious 7, Fast and Furious 8, and Jurassic World. The combined gross of these ten films in India in 2015 was Rs 4,535 crore.
The films starring Ajay Devgn and Saif Ali Khan have not featured in the top ten list of the highest-grossing films of 2015, according to Box Office India, since the combined gross of their films together was less than Rs 500 crore. These films include Gabbar is back and Kajraare.
In 2016, these films did not feature in the top ten list of the highest-grossing films of 2016. These films include Baahubali 2, Sultan, and Dangal.
These are the films that feature in the top ten list of the highest-grossing films of 2016, according to Box Office India, since the combined gross of their films together was more than Rs 1,000 crore.
These are the films that feature in the top ten list of the highest-grossing films of 2015, according to Box Office India, since the combined gross of their films together was less than Rs 1,000 crore.
Of the top ten highest-grossing films in 2016, two are based on a comic book franchise.
The combined gross of the two highest-grossing films in 2016 was more than Rs 4,000 crore.
Vin Diesel (Fast and Furious 7), Dwayne Johnson (Fast and Furious 8), and Vin Diesel (xXx: Return of Xander Cage) featured in the top ten highest-grossing films of 2016.
Also, both of the top-grossing films of 2016 are from the same production house.
The only other Bollywood actor who features in the top ten highest-grossing films of 2016, according to Box Office India, is Dwayne Johnson. But he is not from any production house or has a major supporting role.
The combined gross of his two highest-grossing films in 2016 is more than Rs 3,700 crore, according to Box Office India.
Hrithik Roshan’s two highest-grossing films in 2016 were Mohenjo Daro and Kaabil, both of which were in the second and third position in the list of highest-grossing films of 2016.
The combined gross of Mohenjo Daro was Rs 41 crore, according to Box Office India. On the other hand, Kaabil was the highest-grossing film of 2016, according to Box Office India.
This also shows that those who do not feature in the top ten list of highest-grossing films in 2016 have also been successful in earning substantial profits in the country.