New Delhi: South Indian cinema continued its golden run in 2025, leaving Bollywood trailing behind at the box office. With groundbreaking hits like Kantara:
Chapter 1, Kuberaa, L2: Empuraan, and Tourist Family pulling in massive audiences, South films once again proved that strong storytelling and emotional connection matter more than gloss and grandeur.
Even as Bollywood battled through an uneven year, the South stormed ahead, solidifying its pan-India dominance with gripping, culturally rooted entertainers. Dig in to know more about the South Indian films that outperformed Bollywood in 2025.
South Indian films that outperformed Bollywood in 2025
The year 2025 firmly belonged to South Indian filmmakers who redefined Indian box office trends. Kannada, Telugu, Tamil, and Malayalam industries collectively delivered major hits that resonated not just in domestic markets but also globally.
1. Kantara: Chapter 1
Rishab Shetty’s Kantara: Chapter 1 emerged as one of the year’s biggest Indian blockbusters. Praised for its cultural authenticity and visual depth, critics called it “a rare blend of mythology, emotion, and cinematic brilliance.” Trade analyst Taran Adarsh noted, “Kantara 2 has shown once again that cultural stories told with conviction can travel across languages and geographies.” The film’s India net collection is Rs 622.04 Cr, worldwide Collection stands at Rs 851.89 Cr, while Overseas Collection is Rs 111 Cr and India Gross Collection is Rs 740.89 Cr.
2. Kuberaa
Dhanush’s Kuberaa, a Telugu action drama, was another standout, registering strong footfalls across North India. Interestingly, the actor also enjoyed success with his Hindi outing, proving his growing pan-India appeal. Film tracker Ramesh Bala tweeted, “Dhanush delivered in all languages this year — Kuberaa roared in the South and made waves in tier-1 Hindi markets too.” The film’s India net collection is Rs 90.9 Cr, Worldwide Collection stands at Rs 138.1 Cr, while Overseas Collection is Rs 31.6 Cr, and India gross collection is Rs 106.5 Cr.
3. L2: Empuraan
From the Malayalam industry, L2: Empuraandominated international markets. The Mohanlal-starrer became one of India’s top overseas grossers, strengthening the global pull of Malayalam cinema. Meanwhile, Tamil cinema thrived with entertainers like Tourist Family and Good Bad Ugly, both drawing family audiences back to theatres. The movie’s India net collection is Rs 105.25 Cr, while the worldwide Collection is Rs 265.5 Cr. While Overseas Collection stands at Rs 142.25 Cr, India Gross Collection is Rs 123.25 Cr.
4. Tourist Family
Tourist Family, a Tamil family comedy-drama starring M. Sasikumar and Simran, became one of 2025’s biggest surprise hits. Made on a modest budget of Rs 7-16 crore, it grossed around Rs 88-90 crore worldwide, delivering profits of 285-1200 per cent and ranking as the 4th or 6th highest-grossing Tamil film of the year. Tamil Nadu contributed the lion’s share at Rs 56.4 crore gross, with overseas earnings at Rs 14.8-15.55 crore and the rest of India at Rs 7.9 crore. Trade sites hailed it as a super-hit, praising it for pulling families to theatres with its heartfelt story of Sri Lankan refugees in Tamil Nadu.
5. Good Bad Ugly
Good Bad Ugly, the Ajith Kumar and Trisha starrer directed by Adhik Ravichandran, dominated as the highest-grossing Tamil film of 2025. It collected Rs 171.50 crore worldwide in its first five days alone, eventually closing at an estimated Rs 179-248.25 crore gross, making it the 2nd highest Tamil earner of the year and 52nd all-time South Indian film. India’s net stood at Rs 151.88 crore after 20 days, with Tamil Nadu at around Rs 84 crore early on and strong overseas at Rs 52.15 crore. Despite a Rs 250-300 crore budget, its event-film hype showcased massive demand for Tamil entertainers.
So these were some films that outperformed big-budget Bollywood films in 2025.
