Sep 01, 2026 3:16pm IST
Box Office: ‘Spider-Man: Brand New Day,’ ‘Awarapan 2’ and ‘Irumudi’ Make August the Biggest Month of 2026
August has emerged as the biggest month of 2026 at the box office, surpassing March, which saw the release of Ranveer Singh’s “Dhurandhar: The Revenge.” While Indian films benefited from the Independence Day and Onam festive weekends, “Spider-Man: Brand New Day” made the biggest contribution to making August a phenomenal month at the box office.
Hollywood: ₹407 crore
Technically, “Spider-Man: Brand New Day” is a July release as it hit screens on July 30. However, 80% of its collections came in August. The superhero film raked in ₹387 crore last month, while “Insidious: Out of the Further” contributed ₹16 crore. Films such as “PAW Patrol: The Dino Movie,” “The End of Oak Street” and “Mutiny” added to the overall business with relatively modest collections.
Hindi Cinema: ₹237.03 crore
Emraan Hashmi-starrer “Awarapan 2” was the biggest contributor to Hindi cinema’s August business, raking in ₹148.40 crore. “Hanuman Ansh,” one of the year’s wildest sleeper hits in Indian cinema, further boosted the business with ₹45.63 crore. Sunny Deol’s “Batwara 1947,” which underperformed at the box office, contributed ₹38 crore in its theatrical run.
Kannada Cinema: ₹227.75 crore
Despite emerging as a major disappointment given its budget and scale, Yash-starrer “Toxic” contributed a major chunk - ₹221.75 crore - to Kannada cinema’s August business. “Ayogya 2” added another ₹6 crore.
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Telugu Cinema: ₹166.15 crore
August marked a roaring comeback for ‘Mass Maharaja’ Ravi Teja, who delivered a winner with “Irumudi.” The family drama currently stands at around ₹136.15 crore and has the potential to cross the ₹150 crore mark. Apart from the family drama, “Husharu Pittalu,” a small-budget film, found decent footfalls and contributed ₹5 crore, while Varun Tej’s horror-comedy “Korean Kanakaraju” also performed well, earning ₹25 crore.
Tamil Cinema: ₹203.75 crore
While Suriya and Mamitha Baiju’s “Vishwanath and Sons” was the biggest highlight with the theatrical business of ₹116.75 crore, Lokesh Kanagaraj’s acting debut “DC” also proved to be a box-office hit, earning ₹79 crore. However, Nayanthara’s “Hi” failed to impress audiences, collecting just ₹8 crore in four days.
Malayalam Cinema:₹132.32 crore
Malayalam cinema benefited from the Onam festivities, with Nivin Pauly’s “Bethlehem Kudumba Unit” leading the charge. The film earned ₹88.45 crore and continues to hold strong in the domestic market. Prithviraj Sukumaran’s “Khalifa”, however, failed to capitalize on the festive period and is struggling with ₹19.94 crore. “Thudakkam”, which marked the acting debut of Mohanlal’s daughter Vismaya Mohanlal, emerged as an average grosser with ₹23.92 crore.
With the overall box office tally crossing ₹1,374 crore, August has surpassed March’s ₹1,260 crore by a significant margin to become the biggest month of 2026 so far. November and December are expected to raise the bar further, with major releases such as “Ramayana,” along with Hollywood biggies like “Avengers: Doomsday” and “Dune: Part 3.”
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