Dubbed South Indian films drove 31% of Hindi cinema earnings: Ormax Media

The gross box office earnings for 2024 stood at Rs 11,833 crore. It’s the second-best year for the Indian box office, after 2023 when the collections were Rs 12,226 crore, according to Ormax Media. Even as Bollywood struggled to contribute to the earnings, it was a phenomenal year for regional cinema in India.

Malayalam cinema surpassed the Rs 1000-crore earnings mark, doubling its share at the box office from 5% in 2024 to 10% in 2024. Footfalls for Malayalam films nearly doubled compared to 2023, driven by the success of films like Manjummel Boys and Aavesham, which performed well in Kerala and neighbouring states like Tamil Nadu and Karnataka, the report states.

Manjummel Boys became the first Malayalam film to cross the Rs 150-crore mark, earning the distinction of being the highest-grossing Malayalam film of all time. 26 Malayalam films crossed the Rs 10-crore mark, doubling the count from 2023. The report states that this highlights the industry's success beyond just the top films, showcasing broader and more consistent growth.

Hindi cinema saw a significant decline in box office collections from Rs 5,380 crore in 2023 to Rs 4,679 crore. Its
share of box office earnings fell by 4%. Of these, 31% of the collections came from the dubbed version of South Indian films, helping the language-wise split tip in favour of Hindi Cinema despite a 13% decline in earnings over 2023. Only 6 original Hindi language films grossed more than Rs 100 Crore in 2024, compared to 16 in 2023.

Pushpa 2: The Rule earned Rs 1,403 Crore at the box office. Of this, the film’s dubbed Hindi version earned Rs 889 Crore, making the movie the highest-grossing ‘Hindi’ film of all time. The movie helped Telugu cinema see a surge in box office collections, primarily driven by high ticket prices, even as the industry witnessed a 12% decline in footfalls compared to 2023.

Apart from Pushpa 2, Kalki 2898 AD and Stree 2 were the only films to surpass the Rs 500 Crore mark at the India box office. Devara - Part 1, Bhool Bhulaiyaa 3 and The Greatest Of All Time were the other three films to gross above Rs 300 Crore in 2024.

Gujarati cinema saw remarkable growth in 2024: An impressive 57% growth in footfalls and 66% growth in gross box office collections. Earnings for Gujarati films crossed the Rs 80 Crore mark for the first time ever. Jhamkudi, which grossed over Rs 20 Crore, drove this industry’s success at the box office.

Footfalls in cinemas declined by 6% in 2024 compared to 2023. Despite a higher box office collection in 2024, compared to 2022, the footfalls were below the 2022 levels. The report indicates that this reflects the increasing
dependence of box office collections on rising the Average Ticket Prices in recent years. The ATP stood at Rs 87 in 2021, increasing to Rs 119 in 2022, Rs 130 in 2023 and Rs 134 in 2024. From 2023 to 2024, the ATP growth was limited to only 3%, compared to double-digit growth over the last two years, indicating stability in ticket prices, the report states.