10 highest grossing Indian films in the first half of 2024, Malayalam Cinema takes the lead

Biggies like Bade Miyan Chote Miyan, Indian 2, and Maidaan proved to be huge disappointments, but mid-budget films like Munjya, Crew, Manjummel Boys, and others did remarkably well.

Let’s now examine the top 10 highest-grossing Indian films at the global box office in the first half of 2024.

Kalki 2898 AD fetches the top spot  

The film industry was relieved to see Nag Ashwin’s Kalki 2898 AD because there weren’t many major tentpole releases in the first half of 2024, and some big releases ended up being box office busts. The science fiction dystopian saga starring Prabhas, Deepika Padukone, Amitabh Bachchan, and Kamal Haasan is still playing in theaters and is on track to earn Rs 985 crore worldwide by the end of its theatrical run.

In addition to Kalki 2898 AD, the films Hanuman, starring Tejja Sajja, and Fighter, starring Hrithik Roshan, came in second and third, respectively. Over Rs 340 crore was made worldwide by Siddharth Anand’s aerial action drama. Fighter, however, was a disappointment at the box office, earning an average result despite having an enormous budget

On the other hand, Hanuman, the Telugu superhero film directed by Prasanth Varma, surprised everyone by grossing Rs 301 crore at the global box office.

Malayalam Cinema receives new milestone

At the box office, Malayali films such as Premalu, Manjummel Boys, Bramayugam, Aadujeevitham: The Goat Life, and Aavesham had remarkable success.

Just to refresh your memory, Chidambaram’s Manjummel Boys surpassed Tovino Thomas’ 2018 worldwide gross collection with a staggering Rs 242 crore, making it the biggest hit in Malayalam cinema history. Aadujeevitham: The Goat Life, a survival thriller directed by Prithviraj Sukumaran, and Aavesham, an action-comedy starring Fahadh Faasil, respectively, took home over Rs 155 crore at the global box office.

Mid-budget movies were the best earners 

Crew, starring Kareena Kapoor Khan, Tabu, and Kriti Sanon, closed its global box office at Rs 150 crore, while Ajay Devgn’s supernatural drama Shaitaan became the first film to break into the Rs 200 crore club. Teri Baaton Mein Aisa Uljha Jiya, the robotic romantic comedy starring Shahid Kapoor and Kriti Sanon, brought in a staggering Rs 136 crore worldwide. Munjya stunned the box office with its content, grossing a staggering Rs 127 crore worldwide during its 50-day theatrical run.

Tentpole films were not well-received 

The opening weekends of Bade Miyan Chote Miyan, starring Tiger Shroff and Akshay Kumar, Ajay Devgn’s sports drama Maidaan, and Kamal Haasan-Shankar’s political drama Indian 2 must be giving the filmmakers nightmares at this point. Despite being presented on an enormous production scale, none of the three were able to captivate the audience.

Nonetheless, a portion of the audience expresses gratitude to Maidaan. Even so, it suffers from ongoing delays and the public’s disinterest in watching a sports biopic.

Mahesh Babu’s Telugu film Guntur Kaaram did a respectable job leveraging his star power. It did not receive a clean hit verdict, despite earning Rs 172 crore at the global box office and ranking among the highest grossers of 2024.

The top 10 highest-grossers 

1. Kalki 2898 AD  Rs 985 cr (exp)
2. Fighter  Rs 340 cr
3. Hanuman   Rs 301 cr
4. Manjummel Boys  Rs 242 cr
5. Shaitaan  Rs 210 cr
6. Guntur Kaaram  Rs 172 cr
7. Aadujeevitham: The Goat Life  Rs 158 cr
8. Aavesham  Rs 156 cr
9. Crew  Rs 150 cr
10. Teri Baaton Mein Aisa Uljha Jiya  Rs 136 cr

The audience will be treated to a wide range of content in the second half of the year with the impending releases of Stree 2, Thangalaan, The GOAT, VidaaMuyarchi, Vettaiyan, Kanguva, Baby John, Singham Again, Devara, Pushpa 2, and other films.