India’s box office reached a record-breaking $1.48bn (Rs133.95bn) in 2025, surpassing the record achieved in 2023 of $1.35bn (Rs122.26bn), according to figures from Ormax Media.
Last year was also the biggest ever for Hindi films, which grossed a combined $609.78m (Rs55bn), 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 a gross box office of $105.25m (Rs9.5bn). The film also set a record as the highest-grossing Hindi language film of all time, surpassing Stree 2, which grossed $77.33m (Rs6.98bn) in 2024.
A total of 37 films crossed the symbolic $110m (Rs10bn) 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 Rs5bn, while Saiyaara, Coolie and animated film Mahavatar Narsimha grossed more than Rs3bn.
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 number eight in the year-end chart with $26.48m (Rs2.39bn)
The cumulative share of the four South Indian language film industries dropped from 48% in 2024 to 44% in 2025, with only the Kannada language 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.