The Kerala Film Producers Association has released a list of Malayalam films that performed well at the box office in 2025, revealing that only 15 out of the 184 films released this year emerged as commercial successes.
According to the association, nine films were classified as superhits and six as hits, underlining a sharp disparity between releases and profitability. However, the final tally of successful films is yet to be completed, as several high-profile releases are still awaiting theatrical release before the year ends, including 'Vrusshaba' starring Mohanlal, 'Sarvam Maya' featuring Nivin Pauly, and 'Haal' headlined by Shane Nigam. Dileep’s 'Bha Bha Bha' is currently running in theatres.
Only three films managed to cross the Rs 100-crore mark in box office collections this year — 'Lokah Chapter 1: Chandra' with Rs 303.67 crore, 'L2: Empuraan' with Rs 265.5 crore, and 'Thudarum' with Rs 234.5 crore.
Other films listed among the successful releases include 'Dies Irae', 'Alappuzh Gymkhana', 'Hridayapoorvam', 'Officer on Duty', 'Rekhachitram' and 'Kalamkaval'. Films such as 'Eko', 'Pet Detective', 'Prince and Family', 'Ponman', 'Padakkalam' and 'Bromance' were categorised as hits.
Meanwhile, the Kerala Film Chamber released a separate assessment, stating that only 10 films qualified as hits this year. The Chamber expressed concern over mounting losses suffered by producers, warning that the industry is under severe financial stress.
In a statement, Chamber officials criticised the lack of government support and said measures such as waiving entertainment tax and GST were essential for the industry’s survival. They also cautioned that a boycott of theatrical releases could be announced from next month if corrective steps are not taken.
Anuraj Manohar, director of the Malayalam political thriller 'Narivetta' released earlier this year, has contested the list of successful and flop Malayalam films in 2025 published by the Kerala Film Producers’ Association (KFPA).
Mr. Manohar questioned how his debut film was excluded from the list of successful movies despite being critically acclaimed and generating profit for the producer. “The announcement came at a time when I was in the process of doing another film with the same producer. I would really like to know their criteria for judging success and failure. It is not just about my film, but other films like 'Ponman' and 'Ronth', which I know made profits, were also missing from the list of successful films,” he said.