While 2025 hasn't been phenomenal like last year, there have been some remarkable films which have made a mark in the first half of this year.
Published Jun 27, 2025 | 8:00 AM ⚊ Updated Jun 27, 2025 | 8:00 AM
Mid-year report of Malayalam cinema. (X)
While 2024 has been a great for Malayalam cinema, with many blockbusters including the Manjummel Boys, which became the first Malayalam film to collect ₹200 crore.
While 2025 hasn’t been phenomenal like last year, there have been some remarkable films which have made a mark in the first half of this year.
Rekhachitram and Officer on Duty were two films released in January and February respectively, which became hits.
Rekhachithram featuring Asif Ali and Anaswara Rajan in the major role and collected ₹56 crore globally while the India gross collection was ₹31.25 crore according to the tracking website Sacnilk. This is a major win when compared to the budget of the movie.
Similarly Kunchako Boban’s Officer on Duty also had a good response from the audience even if it was criticised for its violence and usage of drugs. The movie directed by Jithu Ashraf earned ₹53 crore globally and an India gross collection of ₹35.26 crore. The budget of the movie was around ₹12 crore.
Empuraan, the Mohanlal starrer directed by Prithviraj Sukumaran also had emerged as superhit at the box office despite the controversy surrounding the film.
The makers claimed that it’s the first Malayalam movie to collect ₹250 crore worldwide. According to Aashirvad Cinemas, the production house, the total collection (including OTT deal) of the movie is around ₹325 crore.
Empuraan had courted controversy after its release as the right wing groups targeted it alleging that it showed the Godhra train incident that led to 2002 Gujarat riots from the point of view of the minorities.
While Kerala Chief Minister Pinarayi Vijayan watched the film and supported it, Mohanlal apologised and the makers re-released the film with the said portions removed.
April saw many big ticket releases due to the Vishu season. Amid films like Mammootty’s Bazooka, and Basil Joseph’s Maranamass, Naslen’s Alappuzha Gymkhana featuring Ganapathy and Anagha Ravi, emerged as a massive hit with an impressive collection of ₹65 crore worldwide.
In May, Mohanlal’s Thudarum was the major hit in Malayalam collecting more than ₹230 crore according to its producer.
The movie directed by Tharun Moorthy received an overwhelming response and became the first Malayalam movie of 2025 to achieve ₹100 crore gross collection from theatres itself. The movie was celebrated for the reunion of Mohanlal and Shobhana combination after a long time.
A poster of the film ‘Thudarum’
2025 will be remembered as the year Mohanlal made a strong comeback with a hat-trick of box office hits. His films Empuraan (released in March) and Thudarum (in May) became superhits. Interestingly, the veteran actor’s Chotta Mumbai, re-released (in June) after 18 years, also made a notable impact in theatres.
The young audience embraced the film, with theatres turning into concert halls as they celebrated the movie’s songs during screenings.
The film has collected over ₹4 crore in two weeks and continues its theatrical run. Overall, Mohanlal’s three films have contributed a cumulative total of over ₹500 crore to the box office in just six months.
A poster of the film ‘Officer on Duty’. (X)
According to trackers, Narivetta has collected ₹25 crore so far and is still running in theatres.
Padakkalam, featuring Sharafudheen and Suraj Venjaramoodu, turned out to be a surprise hit, while Dhyan Sreenivasan’s Detective Ujjvalan had a decent run.
Bromance, starring Arjun Ashokan, Mahima Nambiar, and Mathew Thomas, enjoyed a comfortable theatrical run, while Antony Varghese’s Daveed also performed decently. Shahi Kabir’s Ronth and Anaswara Rajan’s Vyasansametham Bandhumithraadikal also had received positive responses from the audience, although the ongoing rains have played a crucial role in their performance.
Meanwhile, Mammootty’s Bazooka and Dominic and the Ladies Purse failed to meet expectations.
Apart from these, several content-driven films such as Thadavu (directed by Fazil Razak), Narayaneente Moonanmakkal (Sharan Venugopal), Ponman, Ariku, Sarkeet, Abhilasham, and many others were also released in theatres.
A Kochi-based theatre owner, speaking to South First, said that overall, theatres had a successful first half of the year, with Rekhachithram, Empuraan, and Thudarum emerging as blockbusters. Other films like Narivetta, Maranamass, Prince and Family, Good Bad Ugly (Tamil), and Padakkalam also did good business.
Another controversy that made headlines in the Malayalam film industry was the Kerala Film Producers Association (KFPA) giving a monthly report on the collection details of the films.
In their report released in January, the association said that only one movie— Rekhachithram was a superhit out of the 28 films in the month.
Suresh Kumar, secretary of KFPA had also alleged that the “100 crore” club is a fake tag given to films and the producers have no option as the lead actors are responsible for these activities. “Lead stars do this as they fear that their market value will go down”, he had said.
The collection report had upset several actors and producers. In an interview with Manorama, actor Kunchacko Boban criticized the Kerala Film Producers’ Association (KFPA) for providing incorrect collection figures for his film Officer on Duty. He stated that he had the exact figures, while the KFPA responded by saying they only reported collections from Kerala theatres.
When South First asked an industry insider—who spoke on condition of anonymity—about the controversy, he claimed that the KFPA is trying to discourage new producers from entering the film industry. According to him, the association uses Kerala-only collection data to create the impression that the industry is running at a loss.
He further stated, “The basic problem for producers is that many actors are now producing their own films, leaving traditional producers unable to get their dates. And even if they do, the actors demand exorbitant remuneration.”
“No one can restrict anyone from doing business. Now, even producers are owning theatres,” he added.
In another incident, Vijay Babu, the producer of Padakkalam, mockingly told the audience during a theatre visit that he had already received profits from the movie and suggested that the Producers’ Association should take note of this in their reports.
Speaking on condition of anonymity, a technician in the industry said that there have been fewer productions this year compared to previous years. He attributed this decline to a growing fear among producers of incurring financial losses.
Meanwhile, the association had called for a strike starting in June, protesting the high production costs of films and the steep remuneration demanded by young actors. However, it appears that the strike has been withdrawn for now, following a meeting with a government delegation to discuss these concerns.
Another major issue that plagued the industry was the drug menace, which led to arrests and seizures of drugs.
A case had been filed against actor Shine Tom Chacko who had a dramatic escape from a luxury hotel in Kochi and the CCTV visuals of the same got maximum coverage.
Days later two Malayalam directors Khalid Rahman and Ashraf Hamsa were arrested for possession of one and a half grams of drugs from a Kochi flat owned by another director Samir Tahir.
Following that, actors Shine Tom Chacko and Sreenath Bhasi were questioned by the Excise Department regarding any possible connections to the Alappuzha Hybrid case, in which a woman was arrested for possessing hybrid cannabis. These cases received extensive media coverage.
Later Malayalam rapper Vedan was arrested by Tripunithura Hill station for possession and usage of drugs.
(Edited by Sumavarsha)
