Although there were several good films this year, the Malayalam cinema went through a very tough year in 2025 looking at their box office performance. The Kerala Film Chamber of Commerce has revealed that the industry faced a total loss of Rs 530 crore. This happened after a large number of films failed at the box office. In 2025, around 185 new Malayalam films were released in theatres. Along with that, eight old films were also re-released. Even though the number of releases was high, very few films managed to earn profits. The Film Chamber shared all these details through a social media post. The numbers clearly show that 2025 was more about losses than success for the industry.
Only a few films made money
Out of the 185 new films released in theatres, only a small number performed well. According to the Film Chamber, just 9 films were super hits. Another 16 films were counted as hits. Apart from these, around ten films managed to recover their investment. These films earned average collections in theatres and also made money through OTT platforms.This means that only about 35 films were safe financially in some way. The remaining films struggled badly. Around 150 films failed at the box office and could not recover their costs.
What the Film Chamber said
The Kerala Film Chamber of Commerce explained the situation clearly in their post. They said, “2025 was a year of major experiments and expectations for Malayalam cinema. Around 185 new films were released in theatres this year. But how many of these films made profits? How many crores did the industry lose? Let us take a look at the Malayalam cinema box office report for 2025.”They added, “The total investment in new films came to around Rs 860 crore. Based on theatrical revenue, 9 films can be placed in the super hit category and around 16 films in the hit category.”
(Picture Courtesy: Facebook)
The post further stated, “It can be assessed that around 150 films failed in theatres. After excluding films that recovered their investment and those that made profits, 2025 stands as a year in which the Malayalam film industry suffered a loss of Rs 530 crore.”
Re-releases and hope for 2026
Re-released films became a small trend in 2025. However, out of the eight old films that returned to theatres, only three created any box office impact. The Film Chamber admitted that even though a few films did very well, the overall picture remained negative.Still, there is hope. The Chamber said the success of some films proves that audiences like new and different ideas. They also shared hope for the future, saying that 2026 could be better as several promising films are now being made.
