2026 South Indian box office mid-year report: Ram Charan’s ‘Peddi’ tops the charts; ‘Drishyam 3’ and ‘Karuppu’ shine
The first half of 2026 has produced several major theatrical successes across the South Indian film industries. Telugu cinema has led the race with multiple blockbusters, while Malayalam cinema has continued its remarkable run through sequels and content-driven entertainers as always. Tamil cinema has also delivered a major commercial winner and marked the comeback of superstar Suriya after a long series of underwhelming films. ‘Peddi’ tops the chart. Tamil cinema has also delivered a major commercial winner and marked the comeback of superstar Suriya after a long series of underwhelming films.
‘Peddi’ tops the chart
At the top of the list stands Ram Charan’s ‘Peddi’. The sports drama has emerged as the highest-grossing South Indian film of the year, collecting between Rs 332 crore and Rs 378 crore worldwide.According to Sacnilk’s latest estimates, ‘Peddi’ recorded a 20.8% growth on Day 23, taking its India net collection close to Rs 240 crore and India gross to nearly Rs 282 crore. Its opening week alone contributed more than Rs 193 crore. Even with mixed reviews and controversies regarding Janhvi Kapoor’s character, ‘Peddi’ turned out to be a winner at the box office.
‘Karuppu’, ‘Mana Shankara Vara Prasad Garu’ and Malayalam winners
Suriya’s ‘Karuppu’ emerged as Tamil cinema’s biggest success of 2026. The fantasy-action entertainer grossed approximately Rs 304 crore to Rs 340 crore worldwide. It has become the biggest hit of Suriya’s career.Sacnilk reported a Day 28 India net collection of Rs 37 lakh. The latest figures placed its India net near Rs 195 crore, India gross around Rs 226 crore, overseas gross at Rs 81 crore and worldwide collections close to Rs 306 crore.Chiranjeevi’s ‘Mana Shankara Vara Prasad Garu’ also enjoyed a blockbuster theatrical run. Released during Sankranthi, the family entertainer crossed Rs 300 crore worldwide after opening with more than Rs 32 crore on Day 1. The film ended its first week with nearly Rs 158 crore India net and maintained steady collections throughout the festive season.Malayalam cinema delivered two of the year’s biggest commercial successes. Mohanlal’s ‘Drishyam 3’ grossed around Rs 238-242 crore worldwide. Strong overseas support and franchise popularity helped the thriller become one of Mollywood’s biggest earners, even though the film met with mixed reviews from audiences who were mostly disappointed.‘Vaazha II: Biopic of a Billion Bros’ followed closely with worldwide collections between Rs 234 crore and Rs 236 crore. The emotional family entertainer benefited from outstanding word of mouth after opening with Rs 4.75 crore India net. Looking at content quality and box office revenue, ‘Vaazha 2’ can be placed above all of the other Malayalam releases in the first half of 2026.
‘Aadu 3’, ‘Anaganaga Oka Raju’ and ‘Youth’ surprise the trade
Jayasurya’s ‘Aadu 3’ continued the franchise’s successful legacy by collecting nearly Rs 120 crore worldwide. The comedy entertainer performed exceptionally well in Kerala and secured a super hit verdict after opening with around Rs 6 crore India net.Another surprise success came from Naveen Polishetty’s ‘Anaganaga Oka Raju’. Produced on a modest budget of nearly Rs 8 crore, the comedy grossed between Rs 84 crore and Rs 100 crore worldwide.Tamil cinema also celebrated the success of Ken Karunas’ ‘Youth’, which also marked Suraj Venjaramoodu’s first blockbuster in Tamil. The low-budget film collected between Rs 68 crore and Rs 77 crore worldwide.
Big-budget films that fell short
Not every major release managed to meet expectations during the first half of 2026.Prabhas’ The RajaSaab opened strongly with nearly Rs 45 crore India net, including preview collections. However, the high-budget romantic horror-comedy reportedly made around Rs 208 crore worldwide, falling well short of expectations considering its massive production cost.Pawan Kalyan’s ‘Ustaad Bhagat Singh’ also struggled despite an opening-day collection of Rs 34.75 crore. The film concluded its run with approximately Rs 97 crore worldwide and was widely considered a commercial disappointment.Other Telugu releases, including ‘Dacoit’, ‘Raakaasa’, and ‘Biker’, also failed to sustain momentum after their initial releases. Their worldwide collections remained around Rs 57 crore, Rs 22 crore, and Rs 18 crore respectively.Malayalam film ‘Kattalan’, from the makers of ‘Marco’ also underperformed despite opening with around Rs 3.4 crore India net. The Antony Varghese film eventually finished its run in the Rs 8-10 crore worldwide range.Looking at the first half collection reports, Telugu films have dominated the overall box office, even though the films that turned out to be hits, didn’t satisfy the audiences much. Malayalam cinema also surprised the audiences with unexpected blockbusters including ‘Vaazha 2’.Tamil cinema has also enjoyed an encouraging year through films like ‘Karuppu’ and ‘Youth’ and with ‘Jailer 2’, ‘Dharman’, and many more anticipated films releasing in the second half, the industry seems to be in safe zone.
