2024: A Tough Year for Tamil Cinema
The year 2024 turned out to be one of the worst for Tamil cinema in recent times. While movies like Amaran, Maharaja and The Greatest of All Time and performed well, several others, including Indian 2 and Kanguva, failed to meet expectations.
Top 5 Best-Performing Tamil Movies 2024:
Despite being a tough year for Tamil cinema, a few films managed to break barriers and perform well at the box office. Here are the top five highest-grossing Tamil movies of 2024:
1. The Greatest of All Time (₹456 Cr)
Starring Thalapathy Vijay, this sci-fi action thriller became the highest-grossing Tamil film of 2024. Directed by Venkat Prabhu, the film impressed audiences with its engaging storyline and Vijay’s dual role, making it a blockbuster despite mixed reviews.
2. Amaran (₹335 Cr)
Amaran, starring Sivakarthikeyan, is a biopic on the life of Major Mukund Varadarajan, a courageous Indian Army officer. Directed by Rajkumar Periasamy and produced by Raaj Kamal Films International & Sony Pictures, the film showcases the inspiring journey of the late hero. With intense war sequences and emotional depth, Amaran highlights Major Mukund’s bravery and sacrifice. Sivakarthikeyan’s transformation into a real life hero and the film’s patriotic theme made it one of the most profitable films of 2024. This movie is arguably the most collected movie in Tamilnadu in terms of Business and Collections.
3. Vettaiyan (₹250 Cr)
Superstar Rajinikanth returned with Vettaiyan, produced by Lyca Productions. Though the film had high expectations, it received mixed reviews, but Rajinikanth’s star power ensured notable Day one collections. Despite Strong collections on day one the movie became flop at the boxoffice by the end of its theatrical run.
4. Maharaja (₹200 Cr)
This Vijay Sethupathi film surprised everyone with its solid performance. Backed by The Route and Think Studios, Maharaja won audience appreciation for its gripping screenplay and powerful acting, making it one of the year’s most successful films. It became the Highest Grossing Tamil movie in china by the end of it’s theatrical run.
5. Raayan (₹151 Cr)
Dhanush Directorial debut movie Raayan became a huge blockbuster by collecting over 150cr worldwide, despite weak story and average content this movie achieved super hit status by the end of it’s theatrical run.
In 2024, the Tamil film industry showcased a variety of movies that achieved notable box office success. Here’s a summary of the top-performing Tamil films of that year:
| Rank | Movie Name | Worldwide Gross (₹) |
|---|---|---|
| 1 | The Greatest of All Time | 456 crore |
| 2 | Amaran | 335 crore |
| 3 | Vettaiyan | 250 crore |
| 4 | Maharaja | 200 crore |
| 5 | Indian 2 | 154 crore |
| 6 | Raayan | 150 crore |
| 7 | Kanguva | 107 crore |
| 8 | Aranmanai 4 | 100 crore |
| 9 | Ayalaan | 80 crore |
| 10 | Captain Miller | 74 crore |
In 2024, Tamil cinema struggled at the box office, but a few medium-budget and small-budget films performed unexpectedly well, proving that strong content always finds its audience. Movies like Aranmanai 4, Manjummel Boys, Demonte Colony 2, and Lubber Pandhu turned into big hits, bringing relief to the industry.
Aranmanai 4, despite being part of a familiar horror-comedy franchise, surprised everyone with its strong box-office run. Family audiences and comedy lovers flocked to the theaters, making it one of the highest-grossing Tamil films of the year. By the end of it’s theatrical run, it collected over 100 crore worldwide and entered into Top 10 Highest Grossing movies in Kollywood for the year 2024.
Manjummel Boys Colected over 63crs, originally a Malayalam film, became a phenomenon in Tamil Nadu, collecting almost as much as it did in Kerala. The real-life survival story and gripping screenplay and Tamilnadu based incident connected deeply with Tamil audiences, helping it sustain for weeks.
Demonte Colony 2, a horror thriller, proved that well-made sequels still have a place in Tamil cinema. The eerie atmosphere, engaging screenplay.
Lubber Pandhu, a cricket based sports drama, also surprised everyone by pulling in the audience with its emotional depth and strong performances. This movie became blockbuster and collected over 50crs and became a huge hit in Ott also.
While Tamil films had mixed results, other-language Pan-India films performed well. Kalki 2898 AD became a major hit, drawing huge crowds with its grand visuals and unique storyline. Pushpa 2, on the other hand, had good openings but fell short of the breakeven mark in Tamil Nadu. Despite that, it still managed to collect around ₹70 crore.
