The year 2025 turned out to be one of the most expensive years in Bollywood history. Several big-budget films arrived with huge expectations star-studded casts and massive promotional campaigns. Together these films were made on budgets crossing Rs 1075 crore and went on to collect over Rs 3100 crore worldwide. Yet despite the impressive numbers not all of them managed to earn the “hit” tag. High budgets rising production costs and massive marketing expenses meant that box office success was harder to achieve than ever. While some films managed to recover their investment others struggled to justify their price tags. Here’s a closer look at the films that made noise at the box office in 2025 but couldn’t fully meet expectations. Dhurandhar Directed by Aditya Dhar Dhurandhar was one of the most ambitious films of the year. The spy thriller starred Ranveer Singh Akshaye Khanna Sanjay Dutt R. Madhavan and Arjun Rampal. Set against the backdrop of global terrorism the film drew inspiration from real-life incidents such as the IC-814 hijacking and the 2008 Mumbai attacks. Made on a budget of around Rs 250 crore the film managed to collect approximately Rs 1085.4 crore worldwide. While the numbers look massive the heavy investment and marketing costs meant that the film barely crossed the profit line leading trade experts to label it an underperformer despite its scale. Chhaava Based on the life of Maratha ruler Sambhaji Maharaj Chhaava featured Vicky Kaushal in the lead with Rashmika Mandanna and Akshaye Khanna in key roles. Directed by Laxman Utekar and produced by Maddock Films the historical drama was made on a budget of nearly Rs 150 crore. The film collected around Rs 808.7 crore worldwide making it one of the top earners of the year. However due to its high production cost and expectations it fell short of being termed a blockbuster. Saiyaara Directed by Mohit Suri Saiyaara marked the debut of Ahaan Panday and Ananya Panday. The romantic musical inspired by a Korean film was made on a budget of nearly Rs 50 crore. It earned around Rs 575.8 crore globally placing it among the top earners of 2025. Despite decent box office numbers the film received mixed reviews and struggled to create lasting impact beyond its music. War 2 Ayan Mukerji’s War 2 featuring Hrithik Roshan Jr NTR and Kiara Advani was one of the most anticipated films of the year. Produced by Yash Raj Films the action spectacle was mounted on a massive budget of around Rs 400 crore. However with worldwide collections of about Rs 360.7 crore the film failed to recover its costs making it one of the biggest disappointments of 2025 despite its star power. Housefull 5 The fifth instalment of the popular comedy franchise featured an ensemble cast including Akshay Kumar Riteish Deshmukh Sanjay Dutt Jacqueline Fernandez and many more. With a budget of nearly Rs 225 crore Housefull 5 managed to collect Rs 292.5 crore globally. Despite the familiar humour and star cast the film failed to impress audiences and ended up being labeled a box office flop. 2025 proved one thing clearly: big budgets and famous faces no longer guarantee success. Content storytelling and audience connect remain the real kings of the box office. As filmmakers plan their next big releases this year will serve as a reminder that scale alone is never enough.