Box Office tide turns as small films make big waves
India's film industry witnessed a 14% surge in domestic box office collections, reaching ₹5,723 cr in the first half of 2025. Seventeen films surpassed the ₹100-cr mark, signaling a shift towards broader participation across titles and reduced reliance on mega-hits. Tamil cinema's contribution increased, and Hollywood's collections nearly doubled, indicating a healthier distribution and growth.
Agencies Mumbai: India's film industry earned ₹5,723 crore in domestic box office collections in the first half of 2025, a 14% rise from a year earlier, according to Ormax Media. This year's performance also showed a shift in industry dynamics, with reduced dependency on high-budget blockbusters, and stronger contribution from a wider pool of mid-sized films across languages.Executives said this trend is a welcome development in a sector that has long grappled with volatility linked to a few major releases. Seventeen films crossed the ₹100-crore mark between January and June, up from ten in the same period of 2024, according to Ormax's latest 'India Box Office Report'. The increase, however, was not driven by a handful of mega-hits, but by a consistent stream of mid- to high-performing titles. Among the top earners, 'Chhaava' led with ₹693 crore, followed by Telugu-language film 'Sankranthiki Vasthunam'. Only one film crossed the ₹250-crore mark so far, underscoring the broader spread of box office revenues."Jan-Jun 2025 has laid a strong foundation for the year's box office performance. Compared to 2024, there is a reduced reliance on big-ticket blockbusters, with a greater number of films crossing the ₹100 crore mark. This indicates a more robust long-tail contribution," said Sanket Kulkarni, head of business development (theatrical) at Ormax Media. "The share of the top 10 films in the overall Jan-Jun box office has declined from 44% in 2024 to 39% in 2025, a sign of broader participation across titles.""The language-wise distribution of ₹100 crore-plus films is also healthier in 2025. For instance, while 2024 had no Tamil film in this category, 2025 has seen three Tamil films cross the mark, increasing Tamil cinema's contribution from 12% in 2024 to 17% in the Jan-Jun 2025 period," he said. "Additionally, Hollywood has seen significant growth, with its Jan-Jun box office collections nearly doubling compared to the same period in 2024." Industry executives also pointed to the encouraging performance of smaller-budget and mid-scale films, which are increasingly holding their own in theatres.
( Originally published on Jul 20, 2025 )
Hashtags
Try Our AI Features
Explore what Daily8 AI can do for you:
Comments
No comments yet...
Related Articles
NDTV
3 hours ago
- NDTV
Popular Tamil Actor Madhan Bob Dead
Chennai: Popular Tamil film actor Madhan Bob, who entertained film fans through his characteristic laughter and amusing expressions, is no more. He died due to health-related issues on Saturday, a source close to his family said. He was 71. He has been battling cancer, and he breathed his last at his Adyar residence this evening. Known by his professional name as Madhan Bob, S Krishnamoorthy was the eighth child in his family. He had shared the screen space along with leading actors like Kamal Haasan, Rajinikanth, Ajith, Surya, and Vijay. He had appeared in the popular Sun TV comedy show " Asatha Povathu Yaaru?" as one of the judges. He was a versatile actor and musician. Some of his notable roles were: Diamond Babu in the film Thenali, and Manager Sundaresan in Friends. Whichever role he performed, his acting skills made the audience burst out laughing. (This story has not been edited by NDTV staff and is auto-generated from a syndicated feed.)
Mint
3 hours ago
- Mint
'Saiyaara' box office day 16: Mohit Suri's film shows strong Saturday surge and growing theatre buzz
Saiyaara continues its impressive box office run, with early estimates placing the day 16 (third Saturday) collection at ₹ 6.35 crore. This brings the total earnings to a formidable ₹ 291.35 crore, as the film edges closer to the ₹ 300 crore milestone. After earning ₹ 107.75 crore in its second week and ₹ 4.5 crore on its third Friday, Saiyaara witnessed a noticeable uptick on Saturday, reflecting growing weekend interest and positive word-of-mouth. Theatre occupancy also showed a strong trend across major cities. Nationally, Saiyaara recorded 34.38% occupancy in evening shows, up from 30.79% in the afternoon and 16.14% in the morning, indicating a steady climb throughout the day. City-wise, Bengaluru led the surge with 58.67% occupancy, followed by Chennai at 48.67%, and Pune at 35.33%. The National Capital Region (NCR) also held firm at 30.67%, while Mumbai stood at 24.33%. Other metros like Hyderabad (31.67%) and Jaipur (32.33%) contributed to the film's momentum. While some cities such as Surat (10%), Bhopal (19.67%), and Kolkata (19%) showed relatively modest numbers, the overall performance across urban centres suggests continued audience engagement. With Sunday yet to come and momentum building, Saiyaara is well on track to surpass ₹ 300 crore in the coming days. The strong Saturday performance has reinforced the film's commercial success, making it one of the top-grossing Hindi releases of the year. Saiyaara has also become the second Indian film of 2025 to cross the ₹ 400-crore mark globally, next only to Chhaava ( ₹ 808 crore). It is now eyeing entry into the prestigious ₹ 500 crore club, possibly by the end of the third weekend. Saiyaara is a romance-drama about Krish Kapoor (Ahaan Panday), a budding musician, and Vaani Batra (Aneet Padda), a shy writer. Through their relationship, the film explores love, loss, and drama.
India.com
3 hours ago
- India.com
Remember Chando from Rishi Kapoor's Naseeb Apna Apna? She is married to a politician, her son-in-law is a famous cricketer, her name is...
There are so many actors and actresses in Indian cinema who, though they started their journey in the acting field, later moved to politics or got married to politicians. From Kangana Ranaut to Parineeti Chopra, there are many such celebs. Today, we will discuss an actress who once shared the screen with actors like Rishi Kapoor, Rajinikanth, and many more. One of her most iconic roles was that of Chando. Remember Chando From Rishi Kapoor's Naseeb Apna Apna? If you have seen Rishi Kapoor's Naseeb Apna Apna, then you might remember this iconic actress who played the role of Chando—the character of an average-looking girl who undergoes a transformation and leaves her husband stunned. That actress was none other than Radhika Sarathkumar. Who is Radhika Sarathkumar? Radhika Sarathkumar was born to renowned actor and politician M.R. Radha, who shot veteran actor M.G. Ramachandran in 1967 and then shot himself. Both survived the incident, but MGR lost his voice, and M.R. Radha landed behind bars. Radhika came to know everything about her father when she visited Chennai on Christmas in 1977. Initially, she preferred to focus on her studies, but it was her mother who advised her to pursue acting. Radhika's debut film, Kizhakke Pogum Rail, made her an overnight star. In the following years, she featured in various films across Tamil, Telugu, Kannada, Hindi, and Malayalam languages. Radhika Sarathkumar Married Three Times Radhika Sarathkumar tied the knot three times. In 1985, she married actor Pratap Pothen, but the marriage did not last long, and they separated within a year. After this, Radhika married Richard Hardy in 1990, but this relationship also ended within two years. Then, in 2001, Radhika married actor and politician R. Sarathkumar. Radhika Sarathkumar is the Mother-in-Law of a Famous Cricketer As we discuss Radhika's personal life, did you know her son-in-law is a famous cricket player? Yes, Radhika's daughter Rayane Hardy is married to Abhimanyu Mithun, who has played for Royal Challengers Bangalore in the IPL.
