Although the list of the highest-grossing Malayalam films of all time features three titles that hit screens in 2025, the year hasn’t been as good for the industry as 2024. In fact, while last year saw six movies crossing the Rs 100 crore mark, including Manjummel Boys that ended up grossing Rs 240.5 crore globally, according to industry tracker Sacnilk, that hasn’t been the case this year. Only three movies — Lokah Chapter 1: Chandra (Rs 303.67 crore), L2: Empuraan (Rs 265.5 crore), and Thudarum (Rs 234.5 crore) — managed to register three-digit collection figures so far in 2025.
Meanwhile, the Kerala Film Producers’ Association (KFPA) has stepped forward now, revealing that less than 10 per cent of the movies that have hit the screens so far in 2025 have turned a profit. Among the 184 films released in theatres till now, the association revealed that only nine can be labelled as superhits, while six as hits, Onmanorama reported. Although three more major movies — Mohanlal’s Telugu-Malayalam fantasy actioner Vrusshabha, Nivin Pauly’s horror comedy Sarvam Maya, and Shane Nigam’s romantic drama Haal — are gearing up for debut on December 25, coinciding with Christmas, since only six days remain for the year to end, it remains to be seen how much these movies will be able to generate in their first week.
SCREEN Exclusive | Only 10% of 184 Malayalam films released so far in 2025 have succeeded, reveals Kerala Film Chamber: ‘Govt has done nothing in nine years’
While Lokah, Empuraan, Thudarum, Kalamkaval, Dies Irae, Hridayapoorvam, Alappuzha Gymkhana, Rekhachitram, and Officer on Duty have been described as superhits by the KFPA, the list of hits includes Eko, Pet Detective, Prince and Family, Ponman, Padakkalam, and Bromance. It may be recalled that in 2024, about 22 of the total 207 movies released earned profits, taking the success rate to 10.63 per cent. However, with 15 of 184 in 2025, only 8.15 per cent of films have made a gain at the box office, highlighting an alarming scenario.
On Tuesday, December 24, the Kerala Film Chamber of Commerce (KFCC) also stated that only about 10 per cent of the total movies released this year were successful. Commenting on the dip in the overall number of films produced, the chamber’s president, Anil Thomas, told SCREEN, “The numbers are decreasing, and they will dip further next year. The main reason is that revenue is not being generated. Films have to recoup their costs solely from theatre revenue. OTT platforms are not purchasing movies as often. Revenue generation has become a high-risk area for cinema.”
Narivetta’s director rejects KFPA report
However, director Anuraj Manohar, who helmed the Tovino Thomas-Priyamvada Krishnan starrer Narivetta this year, has criticised the KFPA report, questioning the criteria used to label certain movies as successes and others as failures. Maintaining that Narivetta was a commercial success, Anuraj supported his claim by revealing that he is gearing up to work with the same producers again.
Slamming the KFPA report, he wrote on social media, “Narivetta was rejected by almost all the prominent producers here before it finally got made. As a film director, I understood that the struggle to find a producer was natural. It was through that persistent search, fuelled by my love for this film, that the Indian Cinema Company eventually came forward to produce it. Narivetta was their maiden production venture. Months after the film’s release, as is the custom, the producers’ association has released its year-end verdict, claiming that only certain films were profitable this year.”
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He added, “I find it difficult to accept this verdict. Cinema is also an industry, and those who shout from the rooftops that most films are utter failures are attacking its very foundation. If the intention behind this verdict is to discourage new producers from stepping in so the industry can be kept under the control of a few, the reality is that you are essentially surrendering it to big corporations. You will neither eat nor let others eat.”
Referring to Narivetta as a profitable film, the director stated that he is ready to release documents attesting to this. “It is rare in this industry for a production house’s first venture to be profitable and for them to immediately plan a second film with the same director. It is at such a juncture, while we are planning our next project, that this verdict has been announced,” he added.
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