The Indian box office raked in a solid Rs 1,136 crore in August 2025, riding on the back of three blockbusters, Coolie, War 2 and Lokah Chapter 1: Chandra, which together contributed nearly 70% of the month’s collections.
According to Ormax Media’s monthly India Box Office Report, the August performance has helped push the cumulative gross for 2025 releases to Rs 8,370 crore, a 21% jump over the same period last year. If this momentum holds, the year could cross the Rs 12,000-crore mark, putting it in contention to surpass the current record set in 2023 at Rs 12,226 crore.
The big winners
Rajinikanth-starrer Coolie emerged as the top film of August, earning Rs 325 crore across languages, making it the third-highest grosser of the year so far, behind Hindi titles Chhaava and Saiyaara. War 2, led by Hrithik Roshan and Jr. NTR, closely trailed by Rs 283 crore, as the Hindi version contributed more than three-fourths of the revenue. Malayalam blockbuster Lokah Chapter 1: Chandra also caused ripples, joining Hridayapoorvam in consolidating Mollywood’s presence this year.
The Top 10 chart for the month had a combination of four Hindi, three Malayalam, and two Gujarati releases, viz., Vash Level 2 and Bachu Ni Benpani. What was interesting is that almost half of Vash Level 2’s collections were from its Hindi-dubbed version, supported by the success of its Hindi remake Shaitaan. With War 2 now entering the chart, Hindi cinema already accounts for six of the top 10 highest-grossing films of 2025, excluding multi-lingual animated epic Mahavatar Narsimha.
Language share
Hindi films remain at the top with a 40% share of the Indian box office, consistent with last year. Malayalam cinema has recorded a sharp increase, and its share rose to 10% for Jan–Aug 2025, owing to the Onam festival releases.