Streamlined Guides: Malayalam Box Office, Producers & Talent
Among the four major South Indian film industries, the Malayalam-language industry, based in the coastal state of Kerala, may not be the largest, but is often the most critically acclaimed. The state has long been known for its arthouse cinema, from auteurs such as Adoor Gopalakrishnan and the late Shaji N. Karun and John Abraham, to today’s new generation including Lijo Jose Pellissery, Nithin Lukose and Don Palathara. But in recent years, the rest of India and some international audiences have also been waking up to its mainstream films.
Long supported by loyal Keralite audiences in their home state and across the diaspora, Malayalam films are increasingly becoming major hits across the rest of India and even further afield. In 2024, Malayalam cinema doubled its share of India’s box office to 10% with a combined gross of $123m (Rs11.65bn), according to figures from industry analysts Ormax Media. Hits included Chidambaram’s survival thriller Manjummel Boys, which grossed $16.6m (Rs1.57bn) across India; action comedy Aavesham with $10.7m (Rs1bn), and Aadujeevitham - The Goat Life, starring Prithviraj Sukumaran as a Malayali migrant worker in Saudi Arabia, which took $10m (Rs950m).
Malayalam films maintained the momentum in 2025 with a flat $123m in revenue for a 9% share of the overall Indian market. The biggest releases last year included female-led superhero film Lokah Chapter 1: Chandra, which grossed $15.3m (Rs1.45bn) according to Ormax figures, and two titles starring Mohanlal – crime thriller Thudarum with $14.8m (Rs1.4bn) and L2: Empuraan, a political action thriller directed by Prithviraj (a sequel to his 2019 hit Lucifer), which took $12m (Rs1.15bn).
In comparison, Hindi-language films had a 41% market share in 2025; with Telugu cinema at 18%; Tamil at 13%, and Hollywood and other international films taking a 10% share, which means that for the past two years, Malayalam films have been grossing around the same level as Hollywood in the India market. Overseas revenues are also growing, especially in the Gulf Cooperation Council (GCC) countries where many Malayalis live and work. The boom in Saudi box office since cinemas were introduced in 2018 has also helped. Due to higher ticket prices, Gulf box office revenues can be on the same level as those from Kerala for some releases.
So far this year, Drishyam 3, the third instalment in a blockbuster franchise starring Mohanlal as a father who will go to any lengths to protect his family, has reported a $25m (Rs2.38bn) worldwide gross – of which around $13m is from the India market – while comedy drama Vaazha II: Biopic Of A Billion Bros has reportedly taken $24.9m (Rs2.35bn) worldwide, with nearly $16m coming from India.
