India's theatrical box office is on track for a strong first half of 2026, with trade experts and theater owners projecting a 10% to 15% revenue jump across languages compared to last year.
While action-drama Dhurandhar: The Revenge leads the pack with domestic collections of over ₹1,100 crore, the Hindi market has seen few other breakout successes, with the exception of war drama Border 2, which earned around ₹340 crore.
Regional cinema has fared better, with Marathi historical epic Raja Shivaji touching ₹100 crore and Chiranjeevi’s Telugu action-comedy Mana Shankara Vara Prasad Garu earning ₹255 crore.
However, many trade experts warned that the Hindi box office remains worryingly top-heavy, with overall growth masked by a few massive tentpoles rather than sustained by a healthy mix of mid-budget hits distributed evenly throughout the year.
According to media consulting firm Ormax, cumulative box office collections for January to June releases in 2025 came in at ₹5,723 crore, 14% higher than in the same period in 2024, and just ₹12 crore short of the 2022 record for January to June collections.
“Growth has been driven by a stronger and more diverse content slate, coupled with evolving audience preferences. Consumers are increasingly choosing to step out for films that offer compelling storytelling, immersive experiences and the unique joy of shared entertainment,” said Sanjeev Kumar Bijli, executive director, PVR INOX Ltd.
Hindi storytelling lags
However, the Hindi segment in particular remains highly vulnerable, with Rahul Puri, managing director of Mukta Arts and Mukta A2 Cinemas, pointing out that its box office has been sustained by just two films. “We need more films that can make it past the ₹150-200 crore mark to make the business less lumpy. Dhurandhar did so well that it kept the business afloat but not every film can be Dhurandhar,” Puri added.
Trade experts note that the first half of 2026 delivered a clear verdict: the big screen is far from dead, and audiences will readily show up for compelling content. The real challenge, however, lies in the Hindi market, where audience expectations have evolved drastically while mainstream storytelling continues to lag behind.
“Regional cinema continues to perform strongly because it often delivers rooted narratives that audiences connect with deeply. At the same time, several high-budget productions across languages have underperformed despite extensive promotions, reinforcing that content quality ultimately drives audience engagement,” said Kaushik Das, founder and CEO, AAO NXT, an Odia language platform.
Another interesting development is the growing influence of streaming platforms, Das added. These platforms constantly experiment with fresh concepts and niche storytelling, and have high production values, which has raised audience expectations significantly and challenged traditional filmmaking models.
Regional strength
As for regional languages, Malayalam continued its run from last year, putting out mid-budget, high-concept films that travel well beyond Kerala. Vaazha II, Drishyam 3 and Aadu 3 show how much franchise pull there is even at the regional level, according to Ashish Misra, head of commercialisation, Cinépolis India.
Tamil had a decent showing with Karuppu, Youth and LIK: Love Insurance Kompany. Hollywood did well too, with Michael, Project Hail Mary and Obsession finding audiences. The real surprise has been Marathi, with Raja Shivaji and Deool Band 2 performing much better than that industry usually does in a six-month period. Telugu delivered mixed results, with little of note beyond the Sankranthi window.
Misra said, “The ones that did well weren’t always the biggest release or the most familiar title. They were the films that gave people a clear reason to leave the house. A few of the bigger releases, the ones the trade had pencilled in as certainties, didn’t convert at the scale everyone expected, and that tells you more about the year than any single hit does. What it really shows is how sharp the audience has become.
Strong second half expected
Trade experts anticipate a strong showing in the second half of the year, which historically yields higher returns due to a dense cluster of holiday weekends including Independence Day, Diwali, and Christmas. Other than Toxic and Drishyam 3 in Hindi, there is the mythological epic Ramayana, Shah Rukh Khan’s King, and Hollywood titles Avengers: Doomsday and Dune: Part Three.
Danish Devgn, founder and CEO of Lens Vault Studios, said while the industry enjoys real tailwinds—driven by pan-India hits, expanding overseas markets, and a resilient theatrical audience—the risks are equally high. He said producers must navigate bloated production budgets, severe box office clutter during holiday windows, and a consumer base that has become highly selective.
“The festive weekends mostly look after themselves when the films are good. What I’m watching is frequency, the weeks in between, because that’s where the real headroom is,” Misra said. “There’s more of that kind of content coming through across languages. If the business only shows up for the tentpoles, it stays dependent on a handful of films a year. The films that get a family out of the house on an ordinary weekend are doing the quiet, durable work, and that’s the part of the slate I’d keep an eye on,” he added.