If 2024 showed that Malayalam cinema could reach a pan-Indian audience, 2025 proved the industry could deliver blockbusters at a scale once reserved for Telugu and Tamil cinema. The Malayalam box office 2025 story features the first Malayalam film to cross ₹300 crore worldwide, two Mohanlal hits back to back, and a long-awaited comeback for Nivin Pauly. In this report we rank the year’s top grossers, explain what drove their success and look at what the numbers mean for the industry.
Note: Box office figures in Malayalam cinema come from producers, trade analysts and tracking sites, and they often vary. The numbers below are approximate worldwide gross figures as widely reported.
Key Takeaways
- Lokah Chapter 1: Chandra became the first Malayalam film to gross over ₹300 crore worldwide.
- Mohanlal delivered two of the year’s three biggest hits: L2: Empuraan and Thudarum.
- Nivin Pauly’s Sarvam Maya crossed ₹150 crore, his biggest success.
- Mid-budget, content-driven films such as Rekhachithram and Officer on Duty also performed strongly.
Table of Contents
Malayalam Box Office 2025: The Top 10
| Rank | Film | Lead | Approx. worldwide gross |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Lokah Chapter 1: Chandra | Kalyani Priyadarshan | ₹300+ crore |
| 2 | L2: Empuraan | Mohanlal | ₹265+ crore |
| 3 | Thudarum | Mohanlal | ₹235+ crore |
| 4 | Sarvam Maya | Nivin Pauly | ₹150+ crore |
| 5 | Kalamkaval | Mammootty, Vinayakan | About ₹85 crore |
| 6 | Diés Iraé | Pranav Mohanlal | About ₹80 crore |
| 7 | Hridayapoorvam | Mohanlal | About ₹75 crore |
| 8 | Alappuzha Gymkhana | Naslen | About ₹65 crore |
| 9 | Rekhachithram | Asif Ali | About ₹57 crore |
| 10 | Officer on Duty | Kunchacko Boban | About ₹54 crore |
For the all-time picture, see our list of the highest grossing Malayalam movies.
Film-by-Film Analysis
1. Lokah Chapter 1: Chandra
Released on 28 August 2025 during the Onam season, Dominic Arun’s superhero fantasy starring Kalyani Priyadarshan as Chandra, with Naslen in a key role, was the surprise of the year. Produced by Dulquer Salmaan’s Wayfarer Films, it launched a shared cinematic universe built on Kerala folklore. Strong word of mouth turned a modest opening into a record-breaking run, and it became the first Malayalam film to cross ₹300 crore worldwide. It also made history as a female-led film topping the industry’s charts. Read our Lokah OTT guide.
2. L2: Empuraan
Prithviraj Sukumaran’s sequel to Lucifer released on 27 March 2025 with the biggest hype in Malayalam history. Mohanlal returned as Stephen Nedumpally/Khureshi Ab’raam. The film recorded a record-breaking opening and became the highest grosser at the time, before Lokah overtook it. Some political controversy around certain scenes led the makers to release an edited version, but the film’s commercial run remained huge. Read our Empuraan OTT guide.
3. Thudarum
Just a month later, on 25 April 2025, Tharun Moorthy’s Thudarum showed a completely different side of Mohanlal. Playing Shanmughan, a taxi driver whose beloved car is seized, he delivered one of his most acclaimed recent performances, reuniting with Shobana. Unlike Empuraan, it built slowly through word of mouth and became the biggest Kerala grosser of all time at that point. Read our Thudarum OTT guide.
4. Sarvam Maya
Akhil Sathyan’s horror-comedy, released on Christmas Day 2025, gave Nivin Pauly his biggest hit. The film’s light-hearted tone, family appeal and festive release window drove a long, steady run that crossed ₹150 crore. Read our Sarvam Maya box office report.
5–6. Kalamkaval and Diés Iraé
Mammootty’s dark psychological thriller Kalamkaval, directed by debutant Jithin K. Jose and co-starring Vinayakan, was a strong performer in December. Earlier, Rahul Sadasivan’s horror film Diés Iraé, starring Pranav Mohanlal, became the young actor’s biggest success, continuing the director’s strong horror track record after Bramayugam.
7–10. Hridayapoorvam, Alappuzha Gymkhana, Rekhachithram, Officer on Duty
Sathyan Anthikad’s feel-good Hridayapoorvam gave Mohanlal a third hit in the year. Khalid Rahman’s sports comedy Alappuzha Gymkhana, starring Naslen, was a Vishu success with young audiences. In January, Jofin T. Chacko’s mystery Rekhachithram, starring Asif Ali, opened the year with a hit, and in February Kunchacko Boban’s intense cop thriller Officer on Duty showed that tight genre films could thrive. See our best Malayalam movies 2025 list.
Key Trends From the Malayalam Box Office 2025
Bigger budgets, bigger returns
For years, Malayalam films were known for small budgets. In 2025, films like Empuraan and Lokah showed that larger investments can pay off when backed by strong storytelling and smart marketing.
Word of mouth still rules
Lokah, Thudarum and Sarvam Maya did not rely only on opening-day numbers. They grew week after week because audiences recommended them — a pattern that has defined Malayalam hits since Manjummel Boys.
Genre variety
The top 10 includes a superhero film, a political action thriller, a family drama, a horror comedy, a psychological thriller, a sports comedy, a mystery and a cop drama. Few industries show this range among their biggest hits in a single year.
Overseas and other-language audiences
Gulf, US and UK markets contributed heavily, and dubbed versions brought in viewers across India. Malayalam cinema’s audience is no longer limited to Kerala.
Veterans and newcomers together
Mohanlal and Mammootty remained powerful draws, but Kalyani Priyadarshan, Naslen, Pranav Mohanlal and directors like Dominic Arun and Jithin K. Jose show that a new generation is ready to lead.
How the Year Compares
In 2024, the industry’s biggest hit was Manjummel Boys, at around ₹240 crore. In 2025, three films beat or approached that number, and the gap between a “hit” and a “blockbuster” widened considerably. The trend continued into 2026, when Bethlehem Kudumba Unit set a new all-time record. Read our Malayalam box office 2026 report.
Where to Watch the Top Malayalam Films of 2025
Most of these films are now streaming. Kalamkaval arrived on SonyLIV in January 2026 and Sarvam Maya on JioHotstar the same month. For the full list of platforms, see our guide on where to watch Malayalam movies online.
Frequently Asked Questions
Which was the highest grossing Malayalam film of 2025?
Lokah Chapter 1: Chandra, with a worldwide gross of over ₹300 crore.
How many Mohanlal films were hits in 2025?
Three — L2: Empuraan, Thudarum and Hridayapoorvam — were all major successes.
Which Malayalam film first crossed ₹300 crore?
Lokah Chapter 1: Chandra was the first Malayalam film to cross ₹300 crore worldwide.
Are these box office figures official?
No. They are approximate figures compiled from producers and trade trackers, and different sources may report slightly different numbers.
Conclusion
The Malayalam box office 2025 was a landmark year, combining record-breaking blockbusters with smart, mid-budget hits. It showed that the industry can think big without losing the storytelling quality that made it famous. For more, see the list of Malayalam films of 2025 on Wikipedia.
