Jul 08, 2026 3:15pm IST
January-June 2026 Box Office: Indian Cinema Marks Its Biggest First-Half With ‘Dhurandhar 2,’ ‘Border 2’ And ‘Peddi’
The first half of 2026 has turned out to be a defining phase for Indian cinema, as it crossed the landmark ₹6,000 crore mark in the January-June period. With the help of box-office monsters like “Dhurandhar 2,” “Border 2,” “Peddi” and “Mana Shankara Vara Prasad Garu,” among others, Indian cinema has grossed approximately ₹6,542.7 crore (net ₹5,565.2 crore).
The growth in the first half of 2026 can be termed phenomenal compared to previous years: 2025 (₹5,723 crore), 2024 (₹5,015 crore), 2023 (₹4,868 crore) and 2022 (₹5,738 crore).
Hindi Cinema - ₹2,872 crore
Hindi films have grossed ₹2,872 crore in the first half of the year, with Ranveer Singh’s “Dhurandhar 2” (₹1375 crore) and Sunny Deol’s “Border 2” (₹393 crore) taking the top two spots. Akshay Kumar’s two releases, “Bhooth Bangla” (₹216 crore) and “Welcome To The Jungle” (₹140 crore*), have also managed to hit the jackpot at the ticket windows.
Telugu Cinema - ₹1,185 crore
Telugu cinema has the second-highest contribution in the first half of the year, with a gross of ₹1,185 crore. While the father-son duo, Chiranjeevi and Ram Charan, has dominated this period with “Shankara Vara Prasad Garu” (₹258 crore) and “Peddi” (₹287 crore), Samantha Ruth Prabhu’s sleeper hit “Maa Inti Bangaaram” (₹67 crore) also grabbed a crucial spot. Prabhas and Pawan Kalyan’s box office bombs “The Raja Saab” (₹174 crore) and “Ustaad Bhagat Singh” (₹85 crore) also contributed in this phase.
Tamil Cinema - ₹754 crore
Despite big stars and budgets, Tamil Cinema didn’t have the best first half, as several films faced delays and became box-office duds. Suriya’s “Karuppu” (₹229 crore) brought relief to Tamil Nadu cinema halls after the dismal performances of biggies like “Kara” (₹43 crore), “LIK: Love Insurance Kompany” (₹50 crore), and “Parasakthi” (₹62 crore). The period also witnessed surprise hits like “With Love” (₹36 crore), “Thaai Kizhavi” (₹72 crore), “Youth” (₹60 crore) and “Blast” (₹61 crore).
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Malayalam - ₹612 crore
Malayalam cinema enjoyed a great first half of the year with “Drishyam 3” (₹128 crore), “Vaazha 2” (₹150 crore), “Athiradi” (₹43 crore), “Aadu 3” (₹59 crore) and “Bharathanatyam 2 Mohiniyattam” (₹30 crore) being the biggest contributors. However, the Kerala industry also delivered duds with big names like “Patriot” and “Pallichattambi.”
English Cinema - ₹477 crore
Popular English films have always had a huge market in India, and the demand has been growing every year. With “Obsession” (₹100 crore) being the biggest surprise of the year, “Michael” (₹84 crore) and “Project Hail Mary” (₹90 crore) also attracted footfalls in the cinema halls.
Apart from the above-mentioned films, “The Devil Wears Prada 2” (₹36 crore) and “Lee Cronin's The Mummy” (₹30 crore) also marked their presence in this period.
Marathi Cinema - ₹279 crore
The first half of 2026 has been a successful period for Marathi cinema, with “Raja Shivaji” (₹114 crore) and “Deool Band 2” (₹87 crore) doing record-breaking business. Apart from these two hits, “Aga Aga Sunbai! Kay Mhantay Sasubai?” (₹10 crore), “Krantijyoti Vidyalay Marathi Madhyam” (₹30 crore) and “Tumbadchi Manjula” (₹18 crore) also turned out to be profitable ventures in the domestic market.
Kannada Cinema - ₹84 crore
Just like the Tamil film industry, Kannada cinema too faced a slump at the box office with hardly any movies making a mark at the ticket windows. Apart from “Love Mocktail” (₹17 crore) and “KD: The Devil” (₹25 crore), none of the films made an impact at the ticket windows.
Punjabi Cinema - ₹68 crore
“Carry on Jatta 4” (₹19 crore), “Rabb Da Radio 3” (₹14 crore) and “Ishqan De Lekhe” (₹13 crore) were the biggest highlights for Punjab cinema this year. However, no other films from the industry made a noise at the box office.
Bengali Cinema - ₹25 crore
Cinema from West Bengal has struggled to find its footing in the first six months of 2026. The only film that has managed to rake in some collections was “Saptadingar Guptodhon” (₹11 crore).
Note: Collections mentioned in the article are gross figures
Source: Sacnilk and Ormax
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