Indian Film Industry Statistics 2026: Releases, Box Office, OTT & Screens
India's filmed entertainment sector closed calendar 2025 at an estimated ₹20,500 cr (US$2.18 bn), its best year on record, with theatrical gross box office crossing ₹13,000 cr for the first time and 37 films breaching the ₹100 cr mark (CY2025). Through May 2026, India has logged roughly ₹4,030 cr in domestic theatrical gross across Jan–May, anchored by Dhurandhar: The Revenge, Border 2 and a flurry of language-led mid-budget hits (2026 H1, through May).
This reference is anchored to 2026 H1 (January–May 2026) data wherever publicly verifiable, falling back to CY2025 closed-year figures from the FICCI–EY 2026 Media & Entertainment report (March 2026), the Ormax Box Office Report 2025, and Ormax's monthly India Box Office trackers for Jan–April 2026. OTT, screen-count, and talent-economics figures are tagged with their source window inline. Updated 27 May 2026.
At a Glance
| Indicator | Value |
|---|---|
| Indian M&E sector revenue (CY2025) | ₹2,78,000 cr (~US$29.6 bn) |
| Filmed-entertainment segment revenue (CY2025) | ₹20,500 cr (~US$2.18 bn) |
| India theatrical gross box office (CY2025) | ₹13,395 cr |
| India theatrical gross (2026 H1, Jan–May) | ~₹4,030 cr |
| Indian films released theatrically (CY2025) | ~1,900 |
| OTT audience, India (CY2025) | ~601 mn users; 216 mn paid subs |
| Operating cinema screens, India (CY2025) | ~9,300 |
| Top-grossing Indian film (CY2025) | Dhurandhar — ₹895 cr net India / ₹1,307 cr WW |
Industry Size & Revenue
₹2,78,000 cr — India's media & entertainment sector grew 9% year-on-year in 2025, with digital media crossing ₹1 lakh cr for the first time and now the single largest segment (CY2025). FICCI–EY, March 2026.
₹20,500 cr — Filmed-entertainment segment revenue for India in 2025, a record high, up 14% over 2024 on the strength of theatrical recovery (CY2025). Variety / FICCI–EY 2026.
14% — Year-on-year growth in theatrical revenue in 2025, even as digital and satellite-rights monetisation fell 8–10% as platforms re-priced film acquisitions (CY2025). FICCI–EY 2026 summary.
0.8% — Approximate share of India's GDP contributed by the M&E sector, supporting an estimated 2.75 mn direct jobs and 10 mn+ indirect (CY2025). FICCI–EY, March 2026.
~₹947 bn — Digital advertising spend in 2025, accounting for nearly two-thirds of all ad revenue and growing 26% YoY — a structural shift that increasingly funds film marketing budgets (CY2025). FICCI–EY 2026.
Theatrical Releases
~1,900 Indian films released theatrically in 2025, with 37 crossing the ₹100 cr gross mark — up from 22 in 2024 — and three crossing ₹500 cr: Dhurandhar, Kantara: A Legend – Chapter 1 and Chhaava (CY2025). Ormax Box Office Report 2025.
| Language | Gross Box Office, India (CY2025) | Share |
|---|---|---|
| Hindi | ₹5,504 cr | 41% |
| Telugu | ₹2,340 cr | 18% |
| Tamil | ₹1,805 cr | 13% |
| Malayalam | ₹1,164 cr | 9% |
| Kannada | ₹528 cr | 4% |
| Gujarati | ₹242 cr | ~2% |
| Others (Marathi, Bengali, Punjabi, etc.) + Hollywood | ~₹1,812 cr | ~13% |
| Total India theatrical gross | ₹13,395 cr | 100% |
2025 was Hindi cinema's best-ever year, with original Hindi-language films contributing 93% of Hindi box office; dependence on dubbed South films fell from 31% in 2024 to 7% in 2025 (CY2025). Hollywood Reporter India.
Gujarati cinema grew 189% — from ₹84 cr in 2024 to ₹242 cr in 2025 — driven by Laalo: Krishna Sada Sahaayate (₹114 cr), the highest-grossing Gujarati film of all time (CY2025). Ormax 2025.
2026 H1 is tracking ~17% ahead of the comparable 2025 window on a cumulative Jan–March basis (₹3,440 cr in Q1 2026 vs Q1 2025), but with extreme month-to-month volatility — March 2026 (₹1,690 cr) was the fourth-highest month ever, while February 2026 (~₹500 cr) was the weakest month since Feb 2023 (2026 H1). Ormax India Box Office March 2026.
Monthly cadence, 2026 H1: January ₹1,327 cr (driven by Border 2 and Telugu Sankranthi release Mana ShankaraVaraPrasad Garu); February ~₹500 cr; March ₹1,690 cr (Dhurandhar: The Revenge alone contributed >75%); April ₹787 cr (Bhooth Bangla, Vaazha 2); May ~₹590 cr across 107 releases, led by Karuppu (Tamil, ₹155 cr net) and Drishyam 3 (Malayalam) (2026 H1). India TV / monthly trackers.
Box Office
The top of the 2025–2026 H1 Indian box-office leaderboard is anchored by a small handful of blockbusters — only three films crossed ₹500 cr at the India box office in 2025, and a fourth (Dhurandhar: The Revenge, March 2026) cleared the same threshold inside Q1 2026.
| # | Film | Language | Window | India Net | Worldwide |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Dhurandhar | Hindi | CY2025 | ~₹895 cr | ~₹1,307 cr |
| 2 | Kantara: A Legend – Chapter 1 | Kannada | CY2025 | ~₹575 cr | ~₹850 cr |
| 3 | Chhaava | Hindi | CY2025 | ~₹570 cr | ~₹808 cr |
| 4 | Dhurandhar: The Revenge | Hindi | 2026 H1 | ~₹1,275 cr (gross) | n/a |
| 5 | Saiyaara | Hindi | CY2025 | ~₹329 cr | ~₹570 cr |
| 6 | Border 2 | Hindi | 2026 H1 | ~₹260 cr | n/a |
| 7 | Karuppu | Tamil | 2026 H1 | ~₹155 cr | n/a |
Sources: Koimoi 2025 leaderboard, Bollywood Hungama Dhurandhar tracker, Ormax monthly trackers Jan–April 2026.
OTT & Streaming
~601 mn Indians consumed at least one OTT video service in 2025, up from 547 mn in 2024 — equivalent to 41% of the population (CY2025). Ormax via IBEF.
216 mn paid OTT subscriptions across roughly 143 mn households — with ~71% of those subs delivered via telecom/DTH bundles rather than direct-to-consumer purchases (CY2025). FICCI–EY 2026 / Marketing Mind.
₹37,940 cr — Total Indian OTT video market size for FY24–25, with YouTube alone commanding ~38% share, ahead of JioHotstar, Netflix and Amazon Prime Video (FY2024–25). Exchange4Media.
Where Indian films live after their theatrical run varies sharply by language. Our pipeline maps trace every theatrically-released film of the last three years to its streaming home: see the Tamil OTT pipeline map, the Hindi OTT pipeline map, and the Telugu OTT pipeline map.
Original film windows in 2025 compressed to 4–6 weeks for mid-budget titles, with only marquee releases holding 8+ weeks; satellite + digital combined rights fell 8–10% YoY as platforms walked away from the 2022–2023 era of front-loaded acquisition fees (CY2025). FICCI–EY 2026.
Production & Exhibition
~9,300 — Estimated total operating cinema screens in India at the end of 2025, of which roughly 4,200 are in multiplexes and the balance are single-screens, with single-screen closures continuing in tier-2/3 markets (CY2025). FICCI 2026.
1,743 screens — PVR INOX's combined operating footprint as of May 2025, across 352 properties in 111 cities (India + Sri Lanka); the chain plans to add 100–120 screens in FY26 under a more capital-light FOCO model, with 40% of new builds targeted at South India (FY2025–26). PVR INOX FY25 disclosures.
₹5,953 cr — PVR INOX consolidated revenue for FY25, with ticket sales at 54% of revenue (₹3,215 cr) and F&B at 33% (₹1,965 cr); ticket revenue fell ₹316 cr YoY on the back of softer Q1–Q2 footfalls before Chhaava turned the year (FY2024–25). Box Office Worldwide / PVR INOX FY25.
20% rise in average ticket price, 6% drop in footfalls — Ormax's 2025 report flags this as the year's structural tension: gross revenue records were set on the back of pricing, not new audiences entering theatres (CY2025). Ormax 2025 via Social Samosa.
Animation, VFX and post-production services exports grew at double-digit rates again in 2025 and are flagged by FICCI–EY as one of four primary growth drivers for the sector through 2028, alongside digital media, live events and filmed entertainment (CY2025). FICCI–EY 2026.
Stars & Talent
₹300 cr — Reported per-film fee for Allu Arjun on Pushpa 2: The Rule, making him the highest-paid Indian actor on Forbes India's 2025 ranking (2025 data; 2026 list pending). Pinkvilla / Forbes India 2025.
₹260–280 cr — Reported fee bracket for Rajinikanth on Coolie, with Thalapathy Vijay in a similar ₹130–275 cr band as he transitions to a politics-first calendar (2025 data). Filmibeat 2025 remuneration tracker.
₹150–250 cr — Reported per-film fee range for Shah Rukh Khan in 2025, with Salman Khan at ₹100–150 cr; Hindi-cinema lead-actor fees compressed slightly from 2024 peaks as producers re-balanced toward share-of-profit deals (2025 data). Bollywood Life 2025.
Below-the-line wage inflation in VFX, sound and editing remained in the 8–12% range during 2025 as studio capacity tightened around the Dhurandhar / Kantara / Chhaava production cycles; the producers' guild has flagged this as a 2026 budget-management risk (CY2025). FICCI Sector Brief.
Methodology & Sources
Primary anchor: 2026 H1 (January–May 2026) wherever publicly verifiable; fallback: CY2025 closed-year. Where neither was reportable as of 27 May 2026 — notably for the next Forbes India highest-paid actors list and for full-year OTT user updates — we tag the data point with its specific window (e.g. "2025 data; 2026 list pending"). All ₹ amounts in Indian rupees; "cr" = crore (10 mn) and "bn" = billion. Conversions to USD use the ~₹93/$ band that prevailed across Q1–Q2 2026. Theatrical figures are gross unless explicitly labelled "net".
Primary sources: FICCI–EY 2026 Media & Entertainment Report (released March 2026); Ormax Box Office Report 2025 (released Feb 2026); Ormax India Box Office monthly trackers for January, February, March, April 2026; PVR INOX FY25 annual disclosures; Forbes India / Pinkvilla 2025 remuneration roundups; Box Office India and Bollywood Hungama for individual-title net collections.
Editor's Note on Data Choices
Industry revenue: FICCI–EY 2026 reports filmed-entertainment at ₹20,500 cr / US$2.18 bn for 2025. Variety's coverage frames the same figure as "$2.18 bn" headline. We use the FICCI–EY rupee number as primary; the two agree within 1%.
OTT users: Ormax's 2025 update puts India OTT audience at 601 mn (vs 547 mn in their 2024 report). FICCI–EY 2026 quotes 216 mn paid subscriptions, while industry estimates of total paid audience range 250–320 mn once bundled subs are counted. We surface both figures and disclose the difference rather than picking one.
Top film 2025: Dhurandhar closed at ~₹895 cr India net / ~₹1,307 cr worldwide, ahead of Kantara: Chapter 1 (~₹850 cr WW) and Chhaava (~₹808 cr WW). Sacnilk and Bollywood Hungama tracking aligns within ±1.5% on the India-net number.
Screen count: No single official census exists. ~9,300 reflects FICCI's 2026 working estimate; alternative industry estimates run as low as 9,000 and as high as 9,500 depending on how dormant single-screens are treated. PVR INOX's 1,743 screens is a hard, audited number from FY25 filings.
2026 H1 caveat: Ormax has published monthly box-office trackers through April 2026; May 2026 figures here are aggregated from daily trade trackers (India TV, Sacnilk) and should be treated as provisional until Ormax's May report drops.
Further Reading and External Context
For deeper reading: FICCI–EY 2026 M&E Report landing page; Ormax Media Insights (monthly box-office trackers + annual report); FICCI Media & Entertainment; Box Office India (title-level net collections); Variety's 2025 India recap; Producers Guild of India industry updates.
FAQ
What is the size of the Indian film industry in 2026?
India's filmed-entertainment segment closed CY2025 at ₹20,500 cr (~US$2.18 bn), its best year ever, per FICCI–EY 2026; the broader media & entertainment sector stood at ₹2.78 lakh cr (CY2025).
How many films does India produce each year?
Roughly 1,900 Indian films were released theatrically in 2025, the highest count among major film-producing nations; 37 of those crossed ₹100 cr at the India box office (CY2025).
Which language produces the most films in India?
By gross box office in 2025 Hindi led at ₹5,504 cr (41% share), followed by Telugu (₹2,340 cr), Tamil (₹1,805 cr) and Malayalam (₹1,164 cr); by raw release count, Tamil and Telugu often top Hindi (CY2025, Ormax).
What was the highest-grossing Indian film of 2025?
Dhurandhar closed CY2025 at roughly ₹895 cr India net and ₹1,307 cr worldwide, ahead of Kantara: A Legend – Chapter 1 and Chhaava, the only three films to cross ₹500 cr that year (CY2025).
How many OTT users does India have?
India had ~601 mn OTT video users in 2025 (Ormax), of which roughly 216 mn paid subscriptions are active across ~143 mn households per FICCI–EY 2026 (CY2025).
How many cinema screens are there in India?
India operated approximately 9,300 cinema screens at the end of 2025 — about 4,200 multiplex and the balance single-screens — with PVR INOX alone running 1,743 screens across 111 cities (CY2025).