Malayalam Cinema Soars to New Heights in 2024, Surpassing Rs 1,000 Crore Worldwide While Bollywood, Tollywood, and Kollywood Struggle

As India’s major film industries such as Bollywood, Telugu, and Tamil struggle with a trend of films failing at the box office despite star-studded casts and high budgets, the Malayalam film industry is flourishing, generating substantial revenue with a series of successful films. While other industries strive to recover, the Malayalam film sector has already seen multiple blockbusters and superhits, surpassing the Rs 1,000 crore mark at the global box office.

A significant portion of this success comes from just three films. “Manjummel Boys,” “Aadujeevitham (The Goat Life),” and “Aavesham” collectively contributed approximately 55 percent of the total revenue, earning Rs 240.94 crore, Rs 157.44 crore, and Rs 153.52 crore, respectively, as reported by industry tracker Sacnilk. Before the release of Vipin Das’ “Guruvayoorambala Nadayil,” featuring Prithviraj Sukumaran, Basil Joseph, Nikhila Vimal, and Anaswara Rajan, Mathrubhumi noted that Malayalam cinema’s total earnings from January to April 2024 had reached Rs 985 crore. Adding Sacnilk’s report that “Guruvayoorambala Nadayil” has grossed over Rs 30 crore globally, the industry’s worldwide gross surpasses Rs 1,000 crore, marking 2024 as a milestone year in its history.

Last year, according to Mathrubhumi, the Malayalam film industry had a global gross of about Rs 500 crore, bolstered by the successes of films like “2018,” “Kannur Squad,” “RDX,” “Neru,” and “Romancham.” So far in 2024, Malayalam cinema has accounted for 20 percent of India’s total box office collection, while Bollywood has contributed 38 percent. Remarkably, five of the top ten highest-grossing films in Malayalam cinema’s history— “Manjummel Boys,” “Aadujeevitham,” “Aavesham,” “Premalu,” and “Bramayugam”— were released in 2024.

Domestically, the Malayalam film industry’s net earnings have exceeded Rs 500 crore, with “Manjummel Boys” contributing Rs 141.99 crore, “Aadujeevitham” Rs 85.08 crore, “Aavesham” Rs 84.73 crore, “Premalu” Rs 75.64 crore, and “Bramayugam” Rs 27.03 crore.

In contrast, Bollywood, which had two Rs 1,000 crore grossers last year due to Shah Rukh Khan’s major comeback and several Rs 500 crore grossers, is struggling in 2024. The industry has failed to maintain last year’s success streak following a prolonged downturn. As of now, director Siddharth Anand’s “Fighter,” starring Hrithik Roshan and Deepika Padukone, is Bollywood’s highest-grossing film of 2024, earning Rs 358.89 crore. Other films that have crossed the Rs 100 crore mark this year include “Shaitaan” (Rs 213.64 crore), “Crew” (Rs 151.35 crore), “Teri Baaton Mein Aisa Uljha Jiya” (Rs 146.26 crore), and “Article 370” (Rs 105.15 crore).

Tollywood, once a dominant force in Indian cinema, has seen only two successful films this year: “Hanu-Man” and “Tillu Square.” Most of its highly anticipated releases, including Mahesh Babu’s “Guntur Kaaram,” Nagarjuna’s “Naa Saami Ranga,” Ravi Teja’s “Eagle,” Venkatesh’s “Saindhav,” and Vijay Deverakonda’s “The Family Star,” have performed poorly at the box office.

Kollywood is facing an even more challenging year, with just one film, “Captain Miller,” crossing the Rs 100 crore mark. Other notable releases like “Ayalaan” and “Aranmanai 4” have not made a significant impact.

While other major Indian film industries grapple with box office challenges, the Malayalam film industry stands out with its series of successful releases, significantly contributing to the overall revenue. The industry’s ability to produce consecutive hits and superhits has propelled it to new heights in 2024, achieving a remarkable milestone by surpassing the Rs 1,000 crore mark at the worldwide box office.