In 2025, India’s film industry set a new earnings record with box office revenues hitting $1.48 billion (Rs133.95 billion), which eclipsed the previous record of $1.35 billion (Rs122.26 billion) set in 2023, as reported by Ormax Media.
The year marked a significant milestone for Hindi cinema, which saw its highest earnings ever at $609.78 million (Rs55 billion). Impressively, 93% of this revenue came from films originally produced in Hindi. The reliance on dubbed versions of South Indian movies saw a marked decrease, dropping from 31% in 2024 to only 7% in 2025.
The Hindi film Dhurandhar, featuring Ranveer Singh, was the top earner of 2025, pulling in $105.25 million (Rs9.5 billion) at the box office. This film not only led the year’s earnings but also became the highest-grossing Hindi-language movie ever, surpassing Stree 2’s $77.33 million (Rs6.98 billion) from 2024.
Throughout 2026, a remarkable 37 films surpassed the $110 million (Rs10 billion) revenue threshold, a significant increase from the 22 films that achieved this in 2024. The Kannada-language prequel Kantara A Legend: Chapter 1 was the second highest-grossing film of the year, earning $80 million, followed by the Hindi film Chhaava at $77 million. Notably, three films—Dhurandhar, Kantara A Legend: Chapter 1, and Chhaava—each grossed over Rs5 billion. Additionally, films like Saiyaara, Coolie, and the animated Mahavatar Narsimha also performed well, each earning over Rs3 billion.
International films enjoyed a 49% increase in their total box office takings, marking the most successful year post-pandemic and the second-best since 2019. Among these, Disney’s Avatar: Fire And Ash stood out as the highest earner, ranking eighth in the year-end chart with $26.48 million (Rs2.39 billion).
The combined market share of the four major South Indian film industries decreased slightly from 48% in 2024 to 44% in 2025. Among these, only the Kannada film industry showed significant growth.
Despite a 6% decrease in admissions, totaling 832 million in 2025 compared to the previous year, the industry continued to thrive financially due to a 20% increase in average ticket prices, which rose from Rs134 to Rs161.
Daniel Hayes is a business journalist with a focus on market trends, startups, and corporate strategies.
His sharp analysis and investigative reports make complex financial topics accessible to all readers.
