Tamil cinema in 2025 has seen a rocky start, with only 8 out of nearly 100 releases turning into box office hits. Major films with high expectations failed to impress, starting with Ajith’s Vidamuyarchi, which flopped in January. Suriya’s retro film, Ravi Mohan’s Kaadhalikka Neramillai, Vijay Sethupathi’s Ace, and Santhanam’s TT Next Level also underperformed.Even directorial ventures like Dhanush’s Nilavukku En Mel Enna Koban and Bala’s Vanangaan didn’t make the hit list. Recently, Thug Life, directed by Mani Ratnam and starring Kamal Haasan and Simbu, received poor reviews.
The eight successful films of 2025 so far include Ajith’s Good Bad Ugly, Manikandan’s Kudumbasthan, Vishal’s Mathagaja Raja, and Pradeep Ranganathan’s Dragon, which was a low-budget blockbuster. Other hits were Sasikumar’s Tourist Family, Sooriyan Maman, Vikram’s Veeratheera Sooran, and Madras Madni, which is currently enjoying a positive family audience response.
Upcoming releases like Kubera, Coolie, Madarasi, Thalaivan Thalaivi, and Mareesan are highly anticipated—whether they’ll change the tide for Kollywood remains to be seen.
