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	Star Cast	Director
1	Baahubali 2: The Conclusion	2017	Telugu, Tamil	₹250 crore	₹1,810.60 crore ($280.7 million)	Prabhas, Rana Daggubati, Anushka Shetty, Tamannaah Bhatia, Ramya Krishna, Sathyaraj, Nassar, Subbaraju	S. S. Rajamouli
2	RRR	2022	Telugu	₹550 crore	₹1,387.26 crore (US$180 million)	N. T. Rama Rao Jr., Ram Charan, Ajay Devgn, Alia Bhatt, Shriya Saran, Samuthirakani, Ray Stevenson, Alison Doody, Olivia Morris	S. S. Rajamouli
3	K.G.F: Chapter 2	2022	Kannada	₹100 crore	₹1,200–1,250 crore	Yash, Sanjay Dutt, Raveena Tandon, Srinidhi Shetty, Prakash Raj, Archana Jois, Achyuth Kumar, Vasishta N. Simha, Rao Ramesh	Prashanth Neel
4	Salaar: Part 1 – Ceasefire	2023	Telugu	₹270 crore	₹715 crore (US$90 million)	Prabhas, Prithviraj Sukumaran, Shruti Haasan, Easwari Rao, Jagapathi Babu, Tinnu Anand	Prashanth Neel
5	2.0	2018	Tamil	₹400-600 crore	₹699.89 crore	Rajinikanth, Akshay Kumar, Amy Jackson	S. Shankar
6	Jailer	2023	Tamil	₹200 crore	₹607–650 crore	Rajinikanth, Vinayakan, Ramya Krishnan, Vasanth Ravi, Yogi Babu, Mirnaa Menon, Tamannaah Bhatia, Sunil	Nelson Dilipkumar
7	Leo	2023	Tamil	₹250–350 crore	₹595–620 crore	Vijay, Sanjay Dutt, Arjun Sarja, Trisha	Lokesh Kanagaraj
8	Baahubali: The Beginning	2015	Telugu, Tamil	₹180 crore	₹650 crore	Prabhas, Rana Daggubati, Anushka Shetty, Tamannaah Bhatia, Ramya Krishna, Sathyaraj, Nassar	S. S. Rajamouli
9	Ponniyin Selvan: I	2022	Tamil	₹500 crore (Split into 2 parts)	₹500 crore	Vikram, Aishwarya Rai Bachchan, Jayam Ravi, Karthik Sivakumar (Karthi), Trisha Krishnan, Aishwarya Lekshmi, Sobhita Dhulipala	Mani Ratnam
10	Vikram	2022	Tamil	₹120 crore	₹458.93–470.6 crore	Kamal Haasan, Vijay Sethupathi, Fahadh Faasil	Lokesh Kanagaraj
11	Saaho	2019	Telugu, Hindi	₹325 crore	₹419–439 crore	Prabhas, Shraddha Kapoor, Chunky Pandey, Jackie Shroff, Arun Vijay, Neil Nitin Mukesh	Sujeeth
12	Kantara	2022	Kannada	₹15 – 20 crore	₹393.3–450 crore	Rishab Shetty, Sapthami Gowda, Kishore, Achyuth Kumar	Rishab Shetty
13	Pushpa: The Rise	2021	Telugu	₹200-250 crore	₹365–373 crore	Allu Arjun, Fahadh Faasil, Rashmika Mandanna, Jagadeesh Prathap, Bandari, Sunil, Dhananjaya, Ajay Ghosh	Sukumar
14	Adipurush	2023	Hindi, Telugu	₹500–700 crore	₹354 crore	Prabhas, Kriti Sanon, Saif Ali Khan, Sunny Singh, Devdatta Nage	Om Raut
15	Ponniyin Selvan: II	2023	Tamil	₹500 crore (Split into 2 parts)	₹350 crore	Vikram, Jayam Ravi, Karthi, Aishwarya Rai, Trisha, Aishwarya Lekshmi, Sobhita Dhulipala	Mani Ratnam
16	Enthiran	2010	Tamil	₹132—150 crore	₹320 crore	Rajinikanth, Aishwarya Rai Bachchan, Danny Denzongpa	S. Shankar
19	Kabali	2016	Tamil	₹100 crore	₹305 crore	Rajinikanth, Radhika Apte, Winston Chao, Dhansika	Pa. Ranjith
20	Hanu-Man*	2024	Telugu	₹40 crore	₹300 crore (US$38 million)	Teja Sajja, Amritha Aiyer, Varalaxmi Sarathkumar, Samuthirakani, Vinay Rai, Vennela Kishore	Prasanth Varma
21	Varisu	2023	Tamil	₹200–280 crore	₹290–310 crore	Vijay, R. Sarathkumar, Srikanth, Shaam, Rashmika Mandanna	Vamshi Paidipally
22	Bigil	2019	Tamil	₹180 crore	₹285–305 crore	Vijay, Nayanthara, Jackie Shroff, Kathir Vivek	Atlee
23	Ala Vaikunthapurramuloo	2020	Telugu	₹100 crore	₹262–280 crore	Allu Arjun, Pooja Hegde, Tabu, Jayaram, Sushanth, Nivetha Pethuraj, Murali Sharma	Trivikram Srinivas
24	Sarileru Neekevvaru	2020	Telugu	₹75 crore	₹260 crore (US$38 million)	Mahesh Babu, Rashmika Mandanna, Vijayashanti, Prakash Raj, Rajendra Prasad	Anil Ravipudi
25	KGF: Chapter 1	2018	Kannada	₹80 crore	₹250 crore	Yash, Srinidhi Shetty, Vasishta N. Simha, Ramachandra Raju, Archana Jois, Anant Nag	Prashanth Neel
26	Sarkar	2018	Tamil	₹110 crore	₹243.90–260 crore	Vijay, Keerthy Suresh, Varalaxmi Sarathkumar, Radha Ravi	A. R. Murugadoss
27	Sye Raa Narasimha Reddy	2019	Telugu	₹200–300 crore	₹240.6 crore ($34.2 million)	Chiranjeevi, Nayanthara, Tamannaah Bhatia, Sudeep, Vijay Sethupathi, Jagapathi Babu	Surender Reddy
28	I	2015	Tamil	₹100 crore	₹227–240 crore	Vikram, Amy Jackson, Suresh Gopi	S. Shankar
29	Waltair Veerayya	2023	Telugu	₹140 crore	₹225.70 crore	Chiranjeevi, Ravi Teja, Shruti Haasan, Catherine Tresa, Bobby Simha, Prakash Raj	Bobby Kolli
30	Master	2021	Tamil	₹135 crore	₹220–300 crore	Vijay, Vijay Sethupathi	Lokesh Kanagaraj
31	Vishwaroopam	2013	Tamil	₹95 crore	₹220 crore (US$37.54 million)	Kamal Haasan, Shekhar Kapur, Rahul Bose, Pooja Kumar, Andrea Jeremiah, Jaideep Ahlawat	Kamal Haasan
32	Petta	2019	Tamil	₹160 crore	₹219–240 crore	Rajinikanth, Vijay Sethupathi, Nawazuddin Siddiqui, M. Sasikumar	Karthik Subbaraj
33	Beast	2022	Tamil	₹130–150 crore	₹217–300 crore	Vijay, Pooja Hegde, Selvaraghavan	Nelson
34	Rangasthalam	2018	Telugu	₹60 crore	₹216 crore (US$27 million)	Ram Charan, Samantha, Aadhi Pinisetty	Sukumar
35	Darbar	2020	Tamil	₹190–240 crore	₹202–250 crore	Rajinikanth, Suniel Shetty, Nayanthara, Nivetha Thomas	AR Murugadoss
36	Mersal	2017	Tamil	₹120 crore	₹200–260 crore	Vijay, S. J. Suryah, Kajal Aggarwal, Samantha Ruth Prabhu, Nithya Menen, Sathyaraj	Atlee
37	Radhe Shyam	2022	Telugu	₹300–350 crore	₹200–214.04 crore	Prabhas, Pooja Hegde	Radha Krishna Kumar
38	Dasavathaaram	2008	Tamil	₹60 crore	₹200 crore	Kamal Haasan, Asin, Jaya Prada, Mallika Sherawat, K. R. Vijaya	K. S. Ravikumar
39	Thunivu	2023	Tamil	₹200 crore	₹190–250 crore	Ajith Kumar, Manju Warrier, Samuthirakani, John Kokken	H. Vinoth
40	Bharat Ane Nenu	2018	Telugu	₹65 crore	₹187.6–225 crore	Mahesh Babu, Kiara Advani	Koratala Siva
41	Attarintiki Daredi	2013	Telugu	₹55 crore	₹187 crore	Pawan Kalyan, Samantha, Pranitha Subhash	Trivikram Srinivas
42	Viswasam	2019	Tamil	₹100 crore	₹185–200 crore	Ajith Kumar, Nayanthara, Jagapathi Babu	Siva
43	Sarkaru Vaari Paata	2022	Telugu	N/A	₹180–230 crore	Mahesh Babu, Keerthy Suresh, Samuthirakani	Parasuram
44	2018	2023	Malayalam	₹26 crore	₹175.50 crore	Tovino Thomas, Kunchacko Boban, Asif Ali, Vineeth Sreenivasan, Narain, Lal	Jude Anthany Joseph
45	Annaatthe	2021	Tamil	₹180 crore	₹175–240 crore	Rajinikanth, Khushbu Meena, Nayanthara, Keerthy Suresh, Jagapathi Babu	Siva
46	Maharshi	2019	Telugu	₹100–130 crore	₹175–200 crore	Mahesh Babu, Pooja Hegde, Allari Naresh	Vamshi Paidipally
47	Guntur Kaaram	2024	Telugu	₹200 crore	₹171.5 crore	Mahesh Babu, Sreeleela, Meenakshi Chaudhary, Ramya Krishna, Jayaram, Prakash Raj, Jagapathi Babu	Trivikram Srinivas
48	Aravinda Sametha Veera Raghava	2018	Telugu	₹90 crore	₹166.50-170 crore	N. T. Rama Rao Jr., Pooja Hegde, Jagapathi Babu	Trivikram Srinivas
49	Valimai	2022	Tamil	₹150 crore	₹163.20–214 crore	Ajith Kumar, Karthikeya, Huma Qureshi, Gurbani Judge	H. Vinoth
50	Bheemla Nayak	2022	Telugu	₹75 crore	₹161–₹192.37 crore	Pawan Kalyan, Rana Daggubati	Saagar K. Chandra

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.