A difficult year for Malayalam cinema and the road ahead

The Kerala Film Chamber’s revelation that the Malayalam film industry suffered a loss of Rs 530 crore last year is shocking. A review of the annual revenue figures of released films shows that out of 185 films released, 150 failed to earn collections in theatres and ended as flops. Only nine films became super hits, while 16 films were hits. Nine films managed to make profits through OTT platforms. Even though cinema continues to remain one of the most popular forms of entertainment among the public, film workers need to seriously reflect on why such large-scale failures occurred.

Films with strong content and a different style of presentation usually do not fail. However, films made in old and repetitive formats are often rejected by audiences. At the same time, low-budget Tamil films are performing extremely well even in Kerala. Tamil films like Tourist Family and Dude are good examples. Big-budget films released across the country, such as Kantara, have also achieved major success.

The Malayalam super hits of last year include Lokah, Thudarum, Empuraan, Diés Iraé, Alappuzha Gymkhana, Hridayapoorvam, Officer on Duty, Rekhachithram, and Kalamkaval. The film Sarvam Maya, which did not make it to this list, is also heading towards super-hit status. Lokah Chapter One: Chandra rewrote Malayalam cinema history by collecting Rs 303 crore worldwide. However, another record above this was achieved by Kalyani Priyadarshan through Lokah: Chandra, making her the first actress in Malayalam cinema to be part of a Rs 300 crore film. Mohanlal’s films Empuraan earned Rs 268 crore, Thudarum Rs 237 crore, and Hridayapoorvam Rs 77.6 crore at the box office.

Among these, Eko, directed by Dinjith Ayyathan, stood out as a different film. Though re-releases became a trend in 2025, only three out of eight re-released Malayalam films managed to create any movement at the box office.

For a long time, there has been a demand for government support and concessions for the film industry. Key demands include removing the dual GST and entertainment tax, providing concessions in electricity charges and building tax for theatres, reducing shooting charges at public locations, and taking strict action against piracy. The government has called a meeting on January 9th to discuss the Film Chamber’s demands. Both sides need to work together to resolve the issues.

Malayalam cinema, which has many talented filmmakers and artists, will not find it very difficult to regain its former glory. However, as film production costs continue to rise, producers are increasingly questioning whether making films is financially worthwhile. Horror thrillers are currently trending, but most of them are failing to appeal to audiences. The lack of simple comedy films is becoming noticeable. This once again reminds us how big a loss the absence of talents like Sreenivasan has been for Malayalam cinema.