Analysing Kollywood’s box office run in 2025 so far

Kollywood began this year with several releases from new directors, featuring a young cast and crew. Films like Bioscope by Sankagiri Rajkumar, Seesaw by Guna Subramaniam, and Madraskaaran by Vaali Mohan Das kicked off 2025 in a much more relaxed manner.

Although these films were noted for their content and talented cast, fans had to wait until February 2025 for the year’s first big-star release – Vidaamuyarchi, starring Ajith Kumar and Trisha Krishnan.One of the most anticipated films, Retro featuring Suriya, failed to perform well at the box office and did not leave a strong impression on either fans or critics. As 2025 has now reached its halfway point, some highly awaited releases from Rajinikanth, Vijay Sethupathi, and Dhanush are still in the pipeline.Ajith Kumar’s Good Bad Ugly, which released in April, has so far dominated the Kollywood box office in 2025. The film became the highest-grossing Tamil release of the year, with global earnings of Rs 246.8 crore. None of the subsequent releases, including Dhanush’s Kuberaa, managed to surpass this record.With a few major star films lined up for release, let’s take a closer look at Kollywood’s box office performance from January to July 2025.

Vidaamuyarchi

Starring Ajith Kumar and Trisha Krishnan in key roles, Vidaamuyarchi hit cinemas on 6 February and earned Rs 135.65 crore worldwide, according to Sacnilk. Directed by Magizh Thirumeni, the film was inspired by the 1997 American movie Breakdown. It also featured Arjun Sarja, Regina Cassandra, and Arav in pivotal roles. Originally slated for a Pongal release in January, the film was postponed to February, ultimately becoming the highest-grossing Tamil film in early 2025.

However, it did not receive the typically euphoric response Ajith’s films usually garner. Had the storyline resonated more with fans, its box office numbers could have been even higher.Dragon

Ashwath Marimuthu’s Dragon, starring young actor Pradeep Ranganathan, surpassed Vidaamuyarchi by grossing Rs 151.83 crore worldwide. The film delivered a light-hearted yet emotional cinematic experience. The cast included Anupama Parameswaran, Kayadu Lohar, Mysskin, Gautham Vasudev Menon, K.

S. Ravikumar, and George Maryan.Following the film's success, Pradeep expressed gratitude to fans and the Telugu audience for their support. He also revealed that director Ashwath Marimuthu aimed for Dragon to be a widely accepted work of art rather than a typical blockbuster.Retro

Suriya’s high-budget pan-Indian film Kanguva, alongside Bobby Deol, failed to make an impact in 2024. His next venture, Retro, directed by Karthik Subbaraj, was highly anticipated due to Karthik’s unique and realistic storytelling, promising a strong comeback for Suriya.

Despite the buzz, the gangster drama failed to meet expectations and managed only Rs 97.35 crore at the worldwide box office.Karthik Subbaraj later admitted that the film became a target of negative campaigns on social media. In an interview with Galatta, he expressed confusion over the hate, especially since those who watched and liked the film were unsure about the backlash. In another interview with The Hollywood Reporter India, he explained that while Retro reflected his signature style, the pressure of working with a big star and budget affected the film.

He has since announced an upcoming indie project without a major star. Meanwhile, Suriya fans eagerly await his collaborations with RJ Balaji and Venky Atluri.Good Bad Ugly

Ajith Kumar transformed the Kollywood box office with Good Bad Ugly, directed by Adhik Ravichandran. As of now, it is the highest-grossing Tamil film of 2025, collecting Rs 246.8 crore globally. The film featured an ensemble cast, including Trisha Krishnan, Arjun Das, Sunil, Prabhu, Prasanna, Karthikeya Dev, Priya Prakash Varrier, Jackie Shroff, Shine Tom Chacko, Tinnu Anand, B.

S. Avinash, and Raghu Ram.The film was embraced by fans, partly due to the makers incorporating iconic moments from Ajith’s filmography. The story revolved around a retired gangster and gained attention for the recreation of the iconic Sulthana song featuring Priya Prakash Varrier and Arjun Das.Thug Life

Mani Ratnam’s Thug Life generated significant pre-release buzz, reuniting him with Kamal Haasan after 38 years since Nayakan.

However, the film failed to match expectations or outdo Good Bad Ugly, collecting only Rs 97.44 crore worldwide.The cast included Silambarasan, Trisha Krishnan, Aishwarya Lekshmi, Abhirami, Ashok Selvan, Joju George, Nassar, Mahesh Manjrekar, Ali Fazal, Sanjana Krishnamoorthy, and Tanikella Bharani. A major setback came after Kamal Haasan’s controversial comments about the Kannada language led to a ban in Karnataka.

The actor did not apologise, and the film consequently lost revenue in Kannada-speaking regions.Kuberaa

Sekhar Kammula’s Kuberaa, starring Dhanush, Rashmika Mandanna, and Nagarjuna Akkineni, grossed Rs 133 crore worldwide. The multi-starrer received favourable reviews from both fans and critics. However, it earned only Rs 87.22 crore domestically, falling short of the Rs 100 crore mark in India. The film was praised for its realistic yet commercial storytelling.

Rashmika received acclaim for taking on a different and nuanced role compared to her previous performances.Tourist Family

Tourist Family, the debut directorial venture of Abishan Jeevinth, starred M. Sasikumar, Simran, Mithun Jai Sankar, and Kamalesh Jagan in lead roles, with Yogi Babu, Ramesh Thilak, M. S. Bhaskar, Elango Kumaravel, Sreeja Ravi, and Bagavathi Perumal in supporting roles.The film received rave reviews from fans and social media users.

Filmmakers like S. S. Rajamouli publicly praised it, and the movie gained further traction following its OTT release. With its emotionally rich narrative centred on a Sri Lankan Tamil family fleeing the economic crisis and arriving in India in search of a better life, Tourist Family earned Rs 87.23 crore globally.Veera Dheera Sooran: Part 2

Directed by S. U. Arun Kumar, Veera Dheera Sooran: Part 2 featured Vikram in the titular role, along with S.

J. Suryah, Suraj Venjaramoodu, Dushara Vijayan, and Prudhvi Raj. The film received positive reviews and grossed around Rs 65.36 crore at the box office.Madha Gaja Raja

Sundar C’s Madha Gaja Raja, starring Vishal in the lead role, along with Santhanam, Anjali, Varalaxmi Sarathkumar, Sonu Sood, Manivannan, Subbaraju, Nithin Sathya, Sadagoppan Ramesh, Munna Simon, and John Kokken, grossed Rs 63 crore worldwide.Maaman

The family drama Maaman, directed by Prasanth Pandiyaraj, featured Soori in the lead, alongside Rajkiran, Aishwarya Lekshmi, Swasika, Bala Saravanan, Baba Bhaskar, Viji Chandrasekhar, Nikhila Sankar, and Geetha Kailasam. The film was lauded for its realistic storytelling and earned approximately Rs 35 crore at the box office.