India’s film industry is buzzing with excitement as the sci-fi film Kalki 2898 AD has emerged as the highest-grossing film for the first half of 2024. Starring industry legends like Amitabh Bachchan, Kamal Haasan, and Prabhas, the movie raked in an impressive $92.3M at the local box office. This success has not only brought accolades to the cast and crew but has also made a significant contribution of 15% to the overall box office earnings this year.
The Indian box office closed at a record high of just above the INR50B ($600M) gross mark for the first half of 2024, marking a 3% increase from the same period in 2023. June emerged as the top-performing month, with box office collections surpassing $140M. Following closely behind was March 2024, which also saw a substantial increase in monthly collections.
The diversity of Indian cinema was highlighted in the report by Ormax Media, as different language industries made their mark on the box office. Apart from Kalki 2898 AD, the Hindi-language film Fighter secured the position of the second-highest-grossing film, with local earnings of $29M. Furthermore, the Telugu-language superhero film Hanu-Man also garnered significant attention from audiences.
One of the most significant revelations from the report was the resurgence of Malayalam-language cinema in the Indian film industry. The share of Malayalam-language films has seen a remarkable increase to 15%, up from just 5% in the same period in 2023. Interestingly, Malayalam cinema has already surpassed its total earnings for 2023 within the first half of 2024. This surge in popularity was attributed to the absence of a blockbuster hit like Pathaan from the previous year.
India’s box office success in the first half of 2024 showcases the growing diversity and popularity of regional cinema in the country. With films like Kalki 2898 AD breaking records and languages like Malayalam making a powerful comeback, the Indian film industry is poised for even greater heights in the coming years.