India box office earns Rs 5,723 crore in first half of 2025; ‘Chhaava’ tops chart with Rs 693 crore

New Delhi: The Indian box office minted Rs 5,723 crore in the first six months of 2025, marking a 14 per cent year-on-year growth, a new industry report has said.

The 'India Box Office Report: Jan-Jun 2025', released by Ormax Media on Saturday, highlighted that 17 films crossed the Rs 100 crore mark at the domestic box office between January and June, an increase from just 10 titles that achieved the same feat during the first half of 2024.

"The cumulative box office for Jan-Jun releases stands at Rs 5,723 crore, which is 14 per cent higher than the same period in 2024 and just Rs 12 crore short of the 2022 record for Jan-Jun box office," the report stated.

So far in 2025, the box office has seen fewer big-ticket blockbusters, with only one film crossing the Rs 250 crore mark. Instead, the momentum has been driven by a steady stream of mid- to high-performing titles that grossed over Rs 100 crore.

The highest-earning film of 2025 so far has been "Chhaava", a historical action-drama headlined by actor Vicky Kaushal, which grossed a staggering Rs 693 crore. It is followed by "Sankranthiki Vasthunam", a Telugu-language film starring Daggubati Venkatesh. The movie also posted strong nationwide numbers.

The month of June alone contributed over Rs 900 crore to the half-year tally, with Hindi films "Sitaare Zameen Par" and "Housefull 5" emerging as the top grossers of the month, each grossing close to Rs 200 crore, according to the report.

Tamil-Telugu bilingual "Kuberaa" and "F1", Hollywood's Formula One title with Brad Pitt, were also among the top contributors for the month.

The report noted that if the current trajectory continues, 2025 could close at a record Rs 13,500 crore, making it the highest-grossing year ever for the Indian theatrical market.

It, however, hinges on the box office performance of several major titles scheduled for release in the second half of the year.

These include Rishab Shetty's "Kantara: Chapter 1"; "War 2", starring Hrithik Roshan and Jr NTR; Rajinikanth's "Coolie", "Akhanda 2", featuring Nandamuri Balakrishna, Ayushmann Khurrana's "Thama", and "OG", starring Pawan Kalyan.

The report also highlighted that Hindi cinema continued to dominate with a 40 per cent share of the total collections, followed by Telugu (20 per cent) and Tamil (15 per cent).

Hollywood has reclaimed a double-digit share (over 10 per cent) for the first time since 2022, signalling a resurgence in international content consumption in Indian cinemas.