13 Must-Watch Malayalam Movies On OTT
Thudarum (2025)
Where to watch: JioHotstarAfter its recent massive success in the theatres, this Mohanlal and Shobana starrer has proven yet again the potential of Malayalam cinema. The story: a taxi driver's life takes a dramatic turn when his beloved Ambassador car is seized under mysterious circumstances, which leads to a quest for justice that will make you sit at the edge of your seat the entire time. If thrillers are your jam, don't skip this one.
Kishkindha Kaandam (2024)
Where to watch: JioHotstarIdk what to tell you, but Malayalam cinema does thrillers really well. With mighty critical acclaim for its production, Kishkindha Kaandam is a gripping story around a monkey-inhabited village, where disturbances prompt a newly-wed couple to investigate its root cause. Watch if you're into well-crafted mystery thrillers.
Sookshmadarshini (2024)
Where to watch: JioHotstarStarring the effervescent Nazriya Nazim, Sookshmadarshini is the story of a curious homemaker who suspects that her new neighbour is more private than normal. Her gut feeling gets the best of her—which spirals into a suspenseful game of cat and mouse.
Rekhachithram (2024)
Where to watch: SonyLIVAfter a suspension due to a gambling scandal, Inspector Vivek Gopinath returns to duty, seeking redemption by unraveling a 40-year-old murder case involving a faceless victim. His investigation leads him into the Malayalam film industry's past, uncovering secrets that intertwine cinema and crime.
Bramagyugam (2024)
Where to watch: SonyLIVMade entirely in black-and-white, this Mammooty starrer is a nod to Kerala's folklore. The story revolves around a runaway folk singer in 17th-century Malabar, who stumbles upon a haunted mansion. From there on, a game of deception and dark magic takes place. Watch for its beautiful cinematography, production design, and, of course, one of the best stars Malayalam cinema has to offer. Did the poster scare you? Yeah, you should definitely watch this one.
Romancham (2023)
Where to watch: JioHotstarSet in 2007 Bengaluru, 7 carefree bachelors experiment with a Ouija board, and end up inviting a spirit into their lives—leading to a series of hilarious and spooky events that test their friendship and sanity. Watching Soubin Shahir doing what he does best has never been a bad idea.
Bhoothakaalam (2022)
Where to watch: Amazon Prime VideoWith power-packed performances by Revathy and Shane Nigam, Bhoothakalaam is a fantastic horror film. The story: a grieving mother and her troubled son begin to experience terrifying events in their old house—blurring the line between mental illness and something far more sinister.
Joji (2021)
Where to watch: Amazon Prime VideoIf you're interested in renditions of Shakespeare's works, Joji is the film to watch. Inspired by Macbeth, Joji reolves around a man belonging to a wealthy family who sees a shot at power, and plots a twisted plan to get there. The story unfolds into a dark, witty tale of ambition and guilt. And need I say, Fahadh Faasil?
Nayattu (2021)
Where to watch: NetflixStarring three of the finest actors in Malayalam cinema, Nayattu is a story of 3 police officers who become fugitives after an accident entangles them in a political mess, forcing them to confront the system they are part of.
Trance (2020)
Where to watch: Prime VideoA psychological thriller featuring the GOAT Fahadh Faasil, Trance revolves around a struggling motivational speaker who gets taken under the wing of corporate masterminds and turned into a flamboyant pastor. The film explores mental health, religious exploitation, and the commercialization of spirituality. Watch it specifically for the brilliance that is Fahadh Faasil's performance.
Moothon (2019)
Where to watch: Zee5This film is heartbreak in a package. The story: A young boy from Lakshadweep embarks on a journey to Mumbai in search of his missing elder brother, and ends up in confronting the harsh realities of the city's underworld. Starring the ever-so-flawless Nivin Pauly in arguably his best avatar, this film is beautiful, tragic, and well-made. Not to mention: it premiered at prestigious film festivals around the world, and brought back SEVERAL accolades.
Jalikattu (2019)
Where to watch: NetflixMalayalam cinema cannot get better than this. The story: when a buffalo escapes from a slaughterhouse in a remote Kerala village, the hunt by the townspeople spirals into chaos, revealing the primal instincts lurking beneath their otherwise civilized upbringing.
Special Mention: Manjummel Boys (2024)
Where to watch: JioHotstarOne of the most successful films of 2024, missing this film is not an option. The story revolves around a group of friends who embark on a vacation to Kodaikanal, where an impromptu visit to the infamous Guna Caves turns into a nightmare when one of them falls into a pit.
All you thriller and horror fans—you're absolutely welcome. There's no going back now!
Hashtags
Try Our AI Features
Explore what Daily8 AI can do for you:
Comments
No comments yet...
Related Articles
Forbes
an hour ago
- Forbes
‘Fantastic Four' Final Weekend Box Office Worse Than First Estimated
The Fantastic Four: First Steps' final box office numbers for its second frame ended up being even lower than its already disastrous projected take. On Sunday, the likes of Deadline, Variety and The Hollywood Reporter all projected that the film would earn $40 million domestically in its second Friday to Sunday frame, a 66% drop from its first weekend of $115.6 million in business from July 25-27. As it turns out, even those estimates were a bit too generous. Box office trackers The Numbers and Box Office Mojo both reported the final weekend numbers on Monday for The Fantastic Four: First Steps, and the film ended up earning $38.6 million from Aug. 1-3, which is a 67% drop in business. To date, The Numbers and Box Office Mojo reported, The Fantastic Four: First Steps has earned $197.1 million domestically and $170.2 million internationally for a worldwide tally of $367.4 million. Directed by Matt Shakman and starring Pedro Pascal, Vanessa Kirby, Joseph Quinn and Ebon Moss-Bachrach, The Fantastic Four: First Steps had a production budget of $200 million-plus, according to Variety, but its marketing spend has not been divulged. 'Superman' Appears To Be On Its Way To Winning The 2025 Superhero Box Office Crown Given The Fantastic Four's significant drop in business in its second weekend, it appears that Warner Bros.' Superman from director James Gunn is well on its way to being the top superhero movie of 2025. The first release from Warner Bros.' DC Studios — where Gunn and Peter Safran serve as its co-CEOs — Superman earned $125 million domestically in its opening weekend from July 11-13. Luckily for Gunn and Safran, Superman's business only dropped by 53% in the film's second weekend in theaters as it pulled in a healthy $58.4 million from July 18-21. Per Variety, Superman had a production budget of $225 million and $100 million was spent on marketing. As of Monday, per The Numbers and Box Office Mojo, Superman has earned $316 million domestically and nearly $235 million internationally for a worldwide box office tally of $551 million. Starring David Corenswet in the title role, Superman's box office gross to date far exceeds the global grosses of the first and second superhero movies released in 2025. Both released by Disney Marvel, Captain America: Brave New World finished with a global tally of $413.6 million ($200.5 million domestically and $213.1 million internationally). Thunderbolts*, meanwhile, has earned $382.4 million globally ($190.2 million domestically and $192.1 million internationally) to date. The film is close to being done with its theatrical run, however, having only played in 20 venues over the weekend.
Yahoo
11 hours ago
- Yahoo
Box Office: ‘Fantastic Four' Craters by 66% in Second Weekend, ‘Naked Gun' Debuts to $17 Million
Marvel's First Family might not save the day after all. 'The Fantastic Four: First Steps' is quickly losing steam in its second weekend, signaling the comic book adventure isn't connecting at the box office beyond the film's core demographic of superhero fans. After a healthy $117.6 million debut, 'The Fantastic Four' suffered a hefty 66% drop in its sophomore outing with $40 million from 4,125 theaters. Heading into the weekend, box office analysts anticipated a decline of 55% to 60% from its opening. (By comparison, 'Superman' dropped by 53% in its second weekend after launching to $125 million earlier in July.) This painful fall is surprising because the Marvel tentpole has the benefit of positive reviews and word-of-mouth, as well as a clear runway in terms of competition. More from Variety 'Together' Stars Dave Franco and Alison Brie Relive Their Off-Screen Wedding: Weed Pens, Pizzeria Mozza and a Party Crasher Liam Neeson Jokes His Death as Qui-Gon Jinn in 'The Phantom Menace' Was 'A Bit Namby-Pamby': 'Please, Hardly a Master Jedi' 'Bad Guys 2' Director on Spoofing Elon Musk's SpaceX and How the Cold Open Was Influenced by 'Skyfall' and 'Mission: Impossible' Although those ticket sales were enough to rank as No. 1 on North American charts, 'The First Steps' endured one of the steeper second-weekend drops for Disney's Marvel Cinematic Universe, better than 'The Marvels' (down 78%) but in the company of February's 'Captain America: Brave New World' (down 68%), 2023's 'Ant Man and the Wasp: Quantumania' (down 70%) and 2022's 'Thor: Love and Thunder' (down 67%). So far, 'Fantastic Four' has generated $198 million domestically and $368 million globally. Luckily for Marvel, whose output has been wildly inconsistent in post-pandemic times, 'The First Steps' is pacing to outgross this year's prior theatrical disappointments of 'Captain America: Brave New World' ($415 million globally) and 'Thunderbolts' ($382 million globally). The final tally for 'Fantastic Four' won't be disastrous, à la 'The Marvels' ($206 million) or 'Thunderbolts,' but it's not yet a return to box office glory for Marvel. However, the MCU should officially regain its box office stride with its next three films — 2026's 'Spider-Man: Brand New Day' and 'Avengers: Doomsday' and 2027's 'Avengers: Secret Wars.' ''Fantastic Four' is not a top-tier Marvel franchise. Never has been,' says analyst Jeff Bock of Exhibitor Relations. 'Remember, this ramps up into 'Avengers.' That's the real payoff.' Three new movies opened nationwide, but none were competing for the same audience as 'Fantastic Four.' Among new releases, Universal and DreamWorks Animation's heist comedy 'The Bad Guys 2' enjoyed the strongest start with $22.8 million from 3,852 venues. That's directly even with the first film, which opened to $23 million in 2022 at a time when cinemas were majorly struggling to recover from COVID and studios were barely releasing any movies. The original film eventually powered to $250 million worldwide. 'The Bad Guys 2,' which cost $80 million and follows a group of reformed criminals who relapse for one final con job, was embraced by audiences with an 'A' grade on CinemaScore exit polls. Overseas, 'The Bad Guys 2' landed with $16.3 million for a global total of $44.5 million. 'This is a good opening for an animation sequel,' says analyst David A. Gross of Franchise Entertainment Research. 'With this kind of business, the movie is doing what it's supposed to do.' At No. 3, Paramount's slapstick comedy 'The Naked Gun' debuted to $17 million from 3,344 theaters, right in line with projections. The film earned another $11.5 million at the international box office, bringing its global tally to $28.5 million. It's a promising start given the dearth of theatrical comedies. Akiva Schaffer of the Lonely Island fame directed the film, which carries a $42 million price tag. Critics and moviegoers dug 'The Naked Gun,' in which Liam Neeson stars as bumbling L.A. detective Frank Drebin Jr. (son of the late Leslie Nielsen's Frank Drebin, his predecessor in the 'Naked Gun' trilogy) alongside Pamela Anderson and Paul Walter Hauser. The movie scored an 'A-' grade on CinemaScore and boasts a 90% average on Rotten Tomatoes, both of which should bode well for the remainder of its theatrical run. 'The Naked Gun' appealed almost squarely to older white men; 62% of initial crowds were male, 50% were above 35 years old and 70% were Caucasian. This weekend's final newcomer, Neon's body-horror nightmare 'Together' landed in sixth place with $6.8 million over the traditional weekend and an encouraging $10.8 million during its first five days of release. Real-life husband and wife Dave Franco and Alison Brie star in 'Together' as a co-dependent couple who become frighteningly close after a mysterious force causes horrific body changes. Audiences gave the film a 'C+' on CinemaScore, though that harsh a grade isn't surprising since they likely left the theater feeling very disturbed. In fact, Neon has been leaning into the on-screen trauma to promote the movie, offering free couples therapy for partners who see 'Together' during opening weekend. Neon shelled out $17 million to buy the movie at Sundance, marking one of the richest deals in the festival's history. 'A lukewarm audience score is typical of these films and generally has little effect on how they play out,' Gross says. 'It's [a] smart horror production that's going to be profitable when it's finished.' Elsewhere at the box office, 'Superman' descended to fourth place with $13.9 million in its fourth weekend of release. The Warner Bros. and DC Studios adaptation has generated $316.2 million domestically and $551.2 million globally to date. Universal's 'Jurassic World Rebirth' rounded out the top five with $8.4 million in its fifth weekend of release. The dinosaur epic, which rebooted the long-running property with Scarlett Johansson, Jonathan Bailey and Mahershala Ali, has grossed $317 million in North America and $766 million globally. Overall, the box office is 9.5% ahead of last year but 23% behind 2019, the last pre-pandemic year, according to Comscore. Summer revenues just hit $3 billion from May through early August, so it's a question of whether this could be the second summer in post-COVID times — the year of 'Barbenheimer' was the first — to cross the $4 billion milestone. 'A solid home stretch of the summer is in the cards,' predicts senior Comscore analyst Paul Dergarabedian. 'The $4 billion benchmark is still about a $1 billion away, which is no cake walk but potentially in play.' Solve the daily Crossword
Fast Company
12 hours ago
- Fast Company
‘The Fantastic Four: First Steps' dips 66% at the box office its second weekend
Marvel's first family stumbled in theaters in its second weekend, but still held on to the top spot at the box office. 'The Fantastic Four: First Steps' earned $40 million from 4,125 North American theaters, a 66% drop from a healthy $117.6 million debut. The film was accompanied by comedies 'The Bad Guys 2' and 'The Naked Gun' in the top three box office rankings. The superhero movie dipped significantly more than Marvel's previous film, 'Thunderbolts,' which took a 55% dive in its second weekend. 'First Steps' is the last major blockbuster of the summer. It added nearly $40 million internationally in its second weekend, bringing the film's global total to $369 million. The movie's box office drop off was surprising given its strong reviews, said Paul Dergarabedian, senior media analyst for the data firm Comscore. Though the movie's debut weekend may have given box office results a strong push toward the $4 billion summer benchmark, August is off to a slow start, he said. 'It's a tough lift, but we might be able to get there. It really means that all the films are gonna have to stand on their own,' Dergarabedian said. 'It's gonna be about getting great reviews, having that staying power, that longevity in the marketplace.' Newcomer comedy 'The Bad Guys 2' earned second place at the box office this weekend, with $22 million from 3,852 North American theaters. That was on par with projections and also in line with the first movie in the series, which brought in $23 million in 2022. Paramount's slapstick comedy, 'The Naked Gun,' also in its debut weekend, snagged the third box office spot, earning $17 million from 3,344 locations. Jim Orr, president of domestic distribution for Universal Pictures, said the solid debut for 'The Bad Guys 2,' coupled with strong audience reaction scores, 'should point to a very long, very successful run through not only the rest of the summer, but really, I think into the fall.' James Gunn's 'Superman,' which opened four weekends ago and already crossed $550 million globally, earned $13.8 million domestically this weekend, taking the fourth spot. 'Jurassic World Rebirth' followed with $8.7 million. The horror movie 'Together' had a strong debut weekend, coming in at sixth place and earning $6.8 million domestically, proof that August is a month for edgier and off-beat films, Dergarabedian said. 'That's what this month is about. It's not just about box office,' Dergarabedian said. 'It's also about providing really interesting, rewarding movie-going experiences for audiences.' Dergarabedian said he expects highly-anticipated movies hitting theaters in the next few weeks — including 'Freakier Friday,' and Zach Cregger's horror movie 'Weapons' — to give August a needed boost. The box office is currently up 9.5% from last year. Top 10 movies by domestic box office With final domestic figures being released Monday, this list factors in the estimated ticket sales for Friday through Sunday at U.S. and Canadian theaters, according to Comscore: 1. 'The Fantastic Four: First Steps,' $40 million. 2. 'The Bad Guys 2,' $22.2 million. 3. 'The Naked Gun,' $17 million. 4. 'Superman,' $13.8 million. 5. 'Jurassic World Rebirth,' $8.7 million. 6. 'Together,' $6.8 million. 7. 'F1: The Movie,' $4.1 million. 8. 'I Know What You Did Last Summer,' $2.7 million. 9. 'Smurfs,' $1.8 million. 10. 'How to Train Your Dragon,' $1.4 million.
