India’s box office reached a record-breaking $1.48 billion (Rs133.95 billion) in 2025, surpassing the record achieved in 2023 of $1.35B (Rs122.26B), according to figures from Ormax Media.
Last year was also the biggest ever for Hindi films, which grossed a combined $609.78 million (Rs55 million), around 93% of which was derived from original Hindi-language titles. Dependence on dubbed South Indian films declined from 31% in 2024 to just 7% in 2025.
Jio Studios’ Hindi-language Dhurandhar, starring Ranveer Singh, emerged as the highest-grossing film of 2025 with box office of $105.25M (Rs9.5B). The film also set a record as the highest-grossing Hindi-language film of all time, surpassing Stree 2, which grossed $77.33M (Rs6.98B) in 2024.
A total of 37 films crossed the symbolic $110M (Rs10B) mark in 2026, compared to only 22 in 2024. Kannada-language prequel Kantara A Legend: Chapter 1 came in second in the year-end chart with $80M, followed by Hindi-language Chhaava with $77M. Three films – Dhurandhar, Kantara A Legend: Chapter 1 and Chhaava – grossed more than Rs5B, while Saiyaara, Coolie and animated film Mahavatar Narsimha grossed more than Rs3B.
International films recorded a 49% increase in combined box office, marking their biggest year since the pandemic and second best since 2019. Disney’s Avatar: Fire And Ash was the highest-grossing international title, ranking at No. 8 in the year-end chart with $26.48M (Rs2.39B).
The cumulative share of the four South Indian-language film industries dropped from 48% in 2024 to 44% in 2025, with only Kannada-language films showing significant growth among the four languages.
Admissions were down by 6% to 832 million in 2025, compared to the previous year, underscoring continued dependence on rising average ticket prices, which were up by 20% from Rs134 to Rs161.
