The world’s biggest film industry, India’s multi-language cinema saw a dramatic decline of the dominating Bollywood Hindi film segment, with only five movies crossing the Rs 100 crore threshold in 2024 (compared to 2023). Revealed in the annual Ormax report, are startling stats that tell us that 60 percent of all box office collections are the combined non-Hindi segment, with Telugu at 20 percent and Tamil at 15 percent, followed by the surging Malayalam cinema at 10 percent.
Basically, 2024 was a year of South Indian supremacy, Malayalam cinema’s historic rise, Gujarati cinema’s impressive growth, and a sharp decline for Hindi and Hollywood. The industry’s resilience was demonstrated by a strong second-place finish, but underlying challenges—especially for original Hindi content—remain significant.
Overall Performance
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India’s total box office gross in 2024 was ₹11,833 crore, making it the second-best year ever for Indian cinema, just 3% behind 2023’s record-smashing ₹12,226 crore.
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Footfalls (total admissions) dropped by 6% to 883 million, still below pre-pandemic benchmark levels.
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Average ticket price (ATP) rose 3% to ₹134, a modest increase compared to previous years.
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2024 marks the fourth consecutive year that the Indian box office has surpassed the ₹10,000 crore milestone
Key Insights
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Hindi cinema suffered a notable decline, both in absolute revenue and market share. If only original Hindi productions are considered, the drop was a steep 37%.
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South Indian films collectively dominated, with ₹5,646 crore in box office revenue—20.7% higher than Hindi cinema.
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Malayalam cinema was the breakout story, doubling its share from 5% to 10% and crossing ₹1,000 crore for the first time, fueled by hits like Manjummel Boys (₹157 crore), Aavesham (₹101 crore), and Aadujeevitham – The Goat Life (₹95 crore).
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Telugu cinema had its best year ever, with ₹2,348 crore, thanks to blockbusters Pushpa 2: The Rule and Kalki 2898 AD.
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Gujarati cinema saw the second-highest growth (66%), led by Jhamkudi.
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Hollywood’s performance was the sharpest loser, with a 17% drop in collections.
Top Grossing Films of 2024
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Pushpa 2: The Rule was not just the highest-grossing film of 2024, but its dubbed Hindi version became the highest-grossing Hindi film ever (₹889 crore), a historic feat for Indian cinema.
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Three films crossed the ₹500 crore mark, all from South India (Pushpa 2, Kalki 2898 AD, Stree 2).
Hollywood in India
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Mufasa: The Lion King was the highest-grossing Hollywood title (₹178 crore), followed by Deadpool & Wolverine (₹160 crore).
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Average ticket price for Hollywood remained the highest at ₹245, but overall collections dropped sharply.
Market Dynamics
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South Indian dominance: South Indian films accounted for more than half of the total box office, with strong performances in Telugu, Tamil, and especially Malayalam cinema.
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Dubbed content: The success of dubbed South Indian films in Hindi-speaking markets was a major factor, contributing 31% of Hindi cinema’s total collections (₹1,464 crore).
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Original Hindi slump: Original Hindi productions dropped to ₹3,215 crore (from ₹5,085 crore in 2023), a 37% decline year-on-year.
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Regional growth: Beyond the South, Gujarati cinema posted the second-highest growth rate after Malayalam.
Source – OMAX BOX OFFICE REPORT 2024, JANUARY 11, 2025
