Top 50 Highest Grossing South Indian Movies of All Time
The South Indian film industry has produced some of the most commercially successful and critically acclaimed movies in Indian cinema. South Indian Cinema is used to refer collectively to the four distinct film industries of Telugu (Tollywood), Tamil (Kollywood), Malayalam (Mollywood), and Kannada (Sandalwood) as a single entity. In our article “Top 50 Highest Grossing South Indian Movies of All Time,” we will take you on a journey through the blockbuster hits that have not only dominated the box office but also captured the hearts of audiences worldwide. From high-octane action films to heartwarming dramas, South Indian cinema has a diverse range of offerings that have resonated with global audiences. Join us as we explore the record-breaking success of these movies and the impact they have had on the Indian film industry.
Our comprehensive list will showcase the unprecedented financial success of these top-grossing South Indian movies, providing insights into their production, distribution, and the factors that contributed to their phenomenal box office performance. Whether you’re a fan of South Indian cinema or simply interested in the global impact of Indian movies, this article will offer a captivating overview of the highest-earning films that have solidified the South Indian film industry’s position on the world stage. Stay tuned as we unveil the cinematic masterpieces that have redefined the boundaries of commercial success in Indian cinema and continue to inspire audiences across the globe.
List of Highest Grossing South Indian Movies of All Time:
| Rank | Title | Year | Language | Budget | Worldwide Collection | Director | Star Cast |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Baahubali 2: The Conclusion | 2017 | Telugu, Tamil | ₹250 crore | ₹1,810.60 crore ($280.7 million) | S. S. Rajamouli | Prabhas, Rana Daggubati, Anushka Shetty, Tamannaah Bhatia, Ramya Krishna, Sathyaraj, Nassar, Subbaraju |
| 2 | RRR | 2022 | Telugu | ₹550 crore | ₹1,387.26 crore (US$180 million) | S. S. Rajamouli | N. T. Rama Rao Jr., Ram Charan, Ajay Devgn, Alia Bhatt, Shriya Saran, Samuthirakani, Ray Stevenson, Alison Doody, Olivia Morris |
| 3 | K.G.F: Chapter 2 | 2022 | Kannada | ₹100 crore | ₹1,200–1,250 crore | Prashanth Neel | Yash, Sanjay Dutt, Raveena Tandon, Srinidhi Shetty, Prakash Raj, Archana Jois, Achyuth Kumar, Vasishta N. Simha, Rao Ramesh |
| 4 | Kalki 2898 AD * | 2024 | Telugu | ₹600 crore | ₹1,028–1,200 crore | Nag Ashwin | Amitabh Bachchan, Kamal Haasan, Prabhas, Deepika Padukone, Disha Patani |
| 5 | Salaar: Part 1 – Ceasefire | 2023 | Telugu | ₹270 crore | ₹715 crore (US$90 million) | Prashanth Neel | Prabhas, Prithviraj Sukumaran, Shruti Haasan, Easwari Rao, Jagapathi Babu, Tinnu Anand |
| 6 | 2.0 | 2018 | Tamil | ₹400-600 crore | ₹699.89 crore | S. Shankar | Rajinikanth, Akshay Kumar, Amy Jackson |
| 7 | Jailer | 2023 | Tamil | ₹200 crore | ₹607–650 crore | Nelson Dilipkumar | Rajinikanth, Vinayakan, Ramya Krishnan, Vasanth Ravi, Yogi Babu, Mirnaa Menon, Tamannaah Bhatia, Sunil |
| 8 | Leo | 2023 | Tamil | ₹250–350 crore | ₹595–620 crore | Lokesh Kanagaraj | Vijay, Sanjay Dutt, Arjun Sarja, Trisha |
| 9 | Baahubali: The Beginning | 2015 | Telugu, Tamil | ₹180 crore | ₹650 crore | S. S. Rajamouli | Prabhas, Rana Daggubati, Anushka Shetty, Tamannaah Bhatia, Ramya Krishna, Sathyaraj, Nassar |
| 10 | Ponniyin Selvan: I | 2022 | Tamil | ₹500 crore (Split into 2 parts) | ₹500 crore | Mani Ratnam | Vikram, Aishwarya Rai Bachchan, Jayam Ravi, Karthik Sivakumar (Karthi), Trisha Krishnan, Aishwarya Lekshmi, Sobhita Dhulipala |
| 11 | Vikram | 2022 | Tamil | ₹120 crore | ₹458.93–470.6 crore | Lokesh Kanagaraj | Kamal Haasan, Vijay Sethupathi, Fahadh Faasil |
| 12 | Saaho | 2019 | Telugu, Hindi | ₹325 crore | ₹419–439 crore | Sujeeth | Prabhas, Shraddha Kapoor, Chunky Pandey, Jackie Shroff, Arun Vijay, Neil Nitin Mukesh |
| 13 | Kantara | 2022 | Kannada | ₹15 – 20 crore | ₹393.3–450 crore | Rishab Shetty | Rishab Shetty, Sapthami Gowda, Kishore, Achyuth Kumar |
| 14 | Pushpa: The Rise | 2021 | Telugu | ₹200-250 crore | ₹365–373 crore | Sukumar | Allu Arjun, Fahadh Faasil, Rashmika Mandanna, Jagadeesh Prathap, Bandari, Sunil, Dhananjaya, Ajay Ghosh |
| 15 | Adipurush | 2023 | Hindi, Telugu | ₹500–700 crore | ₹354 crore | Om Raut | Prabhas, Kriti Sanon, Saif Ali Khan, Sunny Singh, Devdatta Nage |
| 16.1 | Ponniyin Selvan: II | 2023 | Tamil | ₹500 crore (Split into 2 parts) | ₹350 crore | Mani Ratnam | Vikram, Jayam Ravi, Karthi, Aishwarya Rai, Trisha, Aishwarya Lekshmi, Sobhita Dhulipala |
| 16.2 | Hanu-Man | 2024 | Telugu | ₹40 crore | ₹350 crore | Prasanth Varma | Teja Sajja, Amritha Aiyer, Varalaxmi Sarathkumar, Samuthirakani, Vinay Rai, Vennela Kishore |
| 17 | Enthiran | 2010 | Tamil | ₹132—150 crore | ₹320 crore | S. Shankar | Rajinikanth, Aishwarya Rai Bachchan, Danny Denzongpa |
| 18 | Kabali | 2016 | Tamil | ₹100 crore | ₹305 crore | Pa. Ranjith | Rajinikanth, Radhika Apte, Winston Chao, Dhansika |
| 19 | Varisu | 2023 | Tamil | ₹200–280 crore | ₹290–310 crore | Vamshi Paidipally | Vijay, R. Sarathkumar, Srikanth, Shaam, Rashmika Mandanna |
| 20 | Bigil | 2019 | Tamil | ₹180 crore | ₹285–305 crore | Atlee | Vijay, Nayanthara, Jackie Shroff, Kathir Vivek |
| 21 | Ala Vaikunthapurramuloo | 2020 | Telugu | ₹100 crore | ₹262–280 crore | Trivikram Srinivas | Allu Arjun, Pooja Hegde, Tabu, Jayaram, Sushanth, Nivetha Pethuraj, Murali Sharma |
| 22 | Sarileru Neekevvaru | 2020 | Telugu | ₹75 crore | ₹260 crore (US$38 million) | Anil Ravipudi | Mahesh Babu, Rashmika Mandanna, Vijayashanti, Prakash Raj, Rajendra Prasad |
| 23 | KGF: Chapter 1 | 2018 | Kannada | ₹80 crore | ₹250 crore | Prashanth Neel | Yash, Srinidhi Shetty, Vasishta N. Simha, Ramachandra Raju, Archana Jois, Anant Nag |
| 24 | Sarkar | 2018 | Tamil | ₹110 crore | ₹243.90–260 crore | A. R. Murugadoss | Vijay, Keerthy Suresh, Varalaxmi Sarathkumar, Radha Ravi |
| 25 | Manjummel Boys | 2024 | Malayalam | ₹20 crore | ₹242.3 crore | Chidambaram | Soubin Shahir, Sreenath Bhasi, Balu Varghese, Ganapathi S. Poduval, Lal Jr. |
| 26 | Sye Raa Narasimha Reddy | 2019 | Telugu | ₹200–300 crore | ₹240.6 crore ($34.2 million) | Surender Reddy | Chiranjeevi, Nayanthara, Tamannaah Bhatia, Sudeep, Vijay Sethupathi, Jagapathi Babu |
| 27 | I | 2015 | Tamil | ₹100 crore | ₹227–240 crore | S. Shankar | Vikram, Amy Jackson, Suresh Gopi |
| 28 | Waltair Veerayya | 2023 | Telugu | ₹140 crore | ₹236.15 crore | Bobby Kolli | Chiranjeevi, Ravi Teja, Shruti Haasan, Catherine Tresa, Bobby Simha, Prakash Raj |
| 29 | Master | 2021 | Tamil | ₹135 crore | ₹220–300 crore | Lokesh Kanagaraj | Vijay, Vijay Sethupathi |
| 30 | Vishwaroopam | 2013 | Tamil | ₹95 crore | ₹220 crore (US$37.54 million) | Kamal Haasan | Kamal Haasan, Shekhar Kapur, Rahul Bose, Pooja Kumar, Andrea Jeremiah, Jaideep Ahlawat |
| 31 | Petta | 2019 | Tamil | ₹160 crore | ₹219–240 crore | Karthik Subbaraj | Rajinikanth, Vijay Sethupathi, Nawazuddin Siddiqui, M. Sasikumar |
| 32 | Beast | 2022 | Tamil | ₹130–150 crore | ₹217–300 crore | Nelson | Vijay, Pooja Hegde, Selvaraghavan |
| 33 | Rangasthalam | 2018 | Telugu | ₹60 crore | ₹216 crore (US$27 million) | Sukumar | Ram Charan, Samantha, Aadhi Pinisetty |
| 34 | Darbar | 2020 | Tamil | ₹190–240 crore | ₹202–250 crore | AR Murugadoss | Rajinikanth, Suniel Shetty, Nayanthara, Nivetha Thomas |
| 35 | Mersal | 2017 | Tamil | ₹120 crore | ₹200–260 crore | Atlee | Vijay, S. J. Suryah, Kajal Aggarwal, Samantha Ruth Prabhu, Nithya Menen, Sathyaraj |
| 36 | Radhe Shyam | 2022 | Telugu | ₹300–350 crore | ₹200–214.04 crore | Radha Krishna Kumar | Prabhas, Pooja Hegde |
| 37 | Dasavathaaram | 2008 | Tamil | ₹60 crore | ₹200 crore | K. S. Ravikumar | Kamal Haasan, Asin, Jaya Prada, Mallika Sherawat, K. R. Vijaya |
| 38 | Bheemla Nayak | 2022 | Telugu | ₹75 crore | ₹193 crore | Saagar K. Chandra | Pawan Kalyan, Rana Daggubati |
| 39 | Thunivu | 2023 | Tamil | ₹200 crore | ₹190–250 crore | H. Vinoth | Ajith Kumar, Manju Warrier, Samuthirakani, John Kokken |
| 40 | Vikrant Rona | 2022 | Kannada | ₹95 crore | ₹190 – 210 crore | Anup Bhandari | Sudeep, Milana Nagaraj, Nirup Bhandari, Neetha Ashok, Jacqueline Fernandez |
| 41 | Bharat Ane Nenu | 2018 | Telugu | ₹65 crore | ₹187.6–225 crore | Koratala Siva | Mahesh Babu, Kiara Advani |
| 42 | Attarintiki Daredi | 2013 | Telugu | ₹55 crore | ₹187 crore | Trivikram Srinivas | Pawan Kalyan, Samantha, Pranitha Subhash |
| 43 | Viswasam | 2019 | Tamil | ₹100 crore | ₹185–200 crore | Siva | Ajith Kumar, Nayanthara, Jagapathi Babu |
| 44 | Sarkaru Vaari Paata | 2022 | Telugu | N/A | ₹180–230 crore | Parasuram | Mahesh Babu, Keerthy Suresh, Samuthirakani |
| 45 | 2018 | 2023 | Malayalam | ₹26 crore | ₹176 crore | Jude Anthany Joseph | Tovino Thomas, Kunchacko Boban, Asif Ali, Vineeth Sreenivasan, Narain, Lal |
| 46 | Annaatthe | 2021 | Tamil | ₹180 crore | ₹175–240 crore | Siva | Rajinikanth, Khushbu Meena, Nayanthara, Keerthy Suresh, Jagapathi Babu |
| 47 | Maharshi | 2019 | Telugu | ₹100–130 crore | ₹175–200 crore | Vamshi Paidipally | Mahesh Babu, Pooja Hegde, Allari Naresh |
| 48 | Etharkkum Thunindhavan | 2022 | Tamil | ₹75 crore | ₹175–200 crore | Pandiraj | Suriya, Vinay Rai, Priyanka Arul Mohan, Sathyaraj, Saranya Ponvannan |
| 49 | Guntur Kaaram | 2024 | Telugu | ₹200 crore | ₹171.5 crore | Trivikram Srinivas | Mahesh Babu, Sreeleela, Meenakshi Chaudhary, Ramya Krishna, Jayaram, Prakash Raj, Jagapathi Babu |
| 50 | Valimai | 2022 | Tamil | ₹150 crore | ₹163.20–214 crore | H. Vinoth | Ajith Kumar, Karthikeya, Huma Qureshi, Gurbani Judge |
FAQs
Which is the highest grossing South Indian film ever?
S. S. Rajamouli’s directed film ‘Baahubali 2: The Conclusion’ is the highest grossing South Indian film ever as well as highest grossing Telugu film, and the second highest-grossing Indian film worldwide. Upon its release, it grossed ₹1,737.68–1,810.60 crore worldwide ($256.26–267.01 million).
Which is the highest grossing Indian film ever?
Aamir Khan starrer ‘Dangal’ is the highest grossing Indian film ever. The film grossed ₹2,024 crore (US$340 million) worldwide and also became the first Indian movie, to cross ₹1000 crore and ₹2000 crore mark.
Which is the highest grossing Telugu film ever?
S. S. Rajamouli’s ‘Baahubali 2: The Conclusion’ is the highest grossing Telugu film of all time.
Which is the highest grossing Tamil film ever?
The bilingual film ‘Baahubali 2: The Conclusion’ is the highest grossing Tamil film of all time.
Which is the highest grossing Kannada film ever?
Prashanth Neel’s ‘KGF: Chapter 2’ is the highest grossing Kannada film of all time and the only movie grossed over 1000 crore till date.
Which is the highest grossing Malayalam film ever?
Jude Anthany Joseph directed film ‘2018’ is the highest grossing Malayalam film of all time. The film grossed around ₹177 crore (US$22 million) at the box office.
Which was the first 1000 crore movie in South India?
‘Baahubali 2: The Conclusion’ is the first South Indian film to gross over ₹1000 crore worldwide. The film is directed by S. S. Rajamouli and features Prabhas, Rana Daggubati, Anushka Shetty, Tamannaah Bhatia, Ramya Krishna, Sathyaraj, Nassar, and Subbaraju.
Which was the first 100 crore movie in South India?
The first South Indian film to gross over ₹100 crore worldwide was 2007 Rajinikanth starring Tamil film Sivaji. The first Telugu film to enter the “100 Crore club” was 2009 film by S.S. Rajamouli, Magadheera.
Which is the fastest 1000 crore movie in South India?
Baahubali 2: The Conclusion (2017) is the fastest Indian movie grossing over 1000 crore, it takes 10 days.
Which was the first 1000 crore movie in South India?
Baahubali 2: The Conclusion (2017) became the first Indian film to gross over ₹1000 crore worldwide.
Also See:
- Highest Grossing Indian Movies of All Time
- Highest Grossing Bollywood Movies of All Time
- Highest Grossing Telugu Movies of All Time
- Highest Grossing Tamil Movies of All Time
- Highest Grossing Kannada Movies of All Time
- Highest Grossing Malayalam Movies of All Time
- Highest Grossing Punjabi Movies of All Time
- Highest Grossing Assamese Movies of All Time