2026 South Indian box office mid-year report: Ram Charan’s ‘Peddi’ tops the charts; ‘Drishyam 3’ and ‘Karuppu’ shine | Malayalam Movie News
The first half of 2026 has produced several big shows in the South Indian film industry. Telugu cinema has taken the lead in the competition with several blockbusters, while Malayalam cinema has continued its amazing run through consistent and entertaining action driven by the likes as always. Tamil cinema has also delivered a huge commercial success and marked the comeback of superstar Suriya after a long series of disappointing films. ‘Peddi’ tops the chart. Tamil cinema has also delivered a huge commercial success and marked the comeback of superstar Suriya after a long series of disappointing films.
‘Peddi’ tops the chart
At the top of the list is Ram Charan’s ‘Peddi’. The action drama has become the highest grossing South Indian film of the year, taking in between Rs 332 crore and Rs 378 crore worldwide.According to Sacnilk’s latest estimates, ‘Peddi’ has recorded a growth of 20.8% on Day 23, taking the India gross to around Rs 240 crore and India gross to around Rs 282 crore. Its opening week alone grossed over Rs 193 crore. Despite mixed reviews and controversies about Janhvi Kapoor’s appearance, ‘Peddi’ turned out to be a success at the box office.
‘Karuppu’, ‘Mana Shankara Vara Prasad Garu’ are Malayalam hits
Suriya’s ‘Karuppu’ has become the highest-grossing Tamil film of 2026. The fantasy thriller has earned an estimated Rs 304 crore to Rs 340 crore worldwide. It has been a great success in Syria’s work.Sacnilk reported Day 28 India earnings of Rs 37 lakh. The latest figures put its Indian gross at around Rs 195 crore, India gross at around Rs 226 crore, foreign gross at Rs 81 crore and international collections around 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 over Rs 32 on Day 1. The film ended its first week with around Rs 158 crore India nett and maintained steady collections throughout the festival.Malayalam films delivered two of the biggest hits of the year. Mohanlal’s ‘Drishyam 3’ earned around Rs 238-242 crore worldwide. The strong foreign support and popularity of the franchise helped the entertainer become one of Mollywood’s biggest earners, even though the film met with mixed reviews from disappointed audiences.‘Vaazha II: Biopic of Billionaire Bros’ was closely followed with worldwide collection between Rs 234 crore and Rs 236 crore. The family entertainer benefited from word of mouth after opening with Rs 4.75 crore India nett. Looking at the quality of the product and the box office revenue, ‘Vaazha 2’ can be placed on top of all other Malayalam films in the first half of 2026.
‘Aadu 3’, ‘Anaganaga Oka Raju’ and ‘Youth’ surprised the sales
Jayasurya’s ‘Aadu 3’ continued its successful franchise record by collecting around Rs 120 crore worldwide. The comedy-drama did very well in Kerala and got a blockbuster verdict after opening with around Rs 6 crore India nett.Another surprise success came from Naveen Polishetty’s ‘Anaganaga Oka Raju’. Made on a meager budget of around Rs 8 crore, the comedy grossed between Rs 84 crore and Rs 100 crore worldwide.The Tamil cinema industry also celebrated the success of Ken Karunas’ ‘Youth’, which also marked Suraj Venjaramoodu’s first Tamil blockbuster. The low-budget film collected between Rs 68 crore and Rs 77 crore worldwide.
The best movies that ever fell
Not all major releases have met expectations in the first half of 2026.Prabhas’ RajaSaab opened strongly with an estimated Rs 45 crore India nett, including the viewership collections. However, the big-budget horror romantic comedy is said to have made around Rs 208 crore worldwide, which was more than expected considering its high budget.Pawan Kalyan’s ‘Ustaad Bhagat Singh’ also struggled despite collecting an opening day of Rs 34.75 crore. The film ended up with around Rs 97 crore worldwide and was considered a commercial disappointment.Other Telugu releases, including ‘Dacoit’, ‘Raakaasa’, and ‘Biker’, also failed to sustain their initial releases. Their international collections remained around Rs 57 crore, Rs 22 crore, and Rs 18 crore respectively.Malayalam movie ‘Kattalan’, from the makers of ‘Marco’ did not do well despite opening with around Rs 3.4 crore India nett. Antony Varghese’s film finally ended its run in Rs 8-10 crore worldwide.Looking at the collection reports of the first half, Telugu films conquered the entire box office, although the films that seemed to be hits, did not satisfy the audience very much. Malayalam cinema also surprised the audience with unexpected blockbusters including ‘Vaazha 2’.Tamil films also enjoyed an encouraging year with films like ‘Karuppu’ and ‘Youth’ and ‘Jailer 2’, ‘Dharman’, and many other films expected to be released in the second half, the industry seems to be in a safe place.
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