Tamil cinema is a part of Indian cinema based in Chennai , Tamil Nadu . The films are made primarily in the Tamil language. Chintamani (1937) and Haridas (1944) are landmark films from the early stages of Tamil cinema. Chintamani was the first major box office success, while Haridas is noted for its significant impact and long theatrical run, reflecting industry's development before its formal establishment post-independence. This ranking lists the highest-grossing Tamil films produced by Tamil cinema, based on conservative global box office estimates as reported by organizations classified as green by Wikipedia.[ a] The figures are not adjusted for inflation. However, there is no official tracking of figures, and sources publishing data are frequently pressured to increase their estimates.[ 1] [ 2]
Key
Background shading indicates that a film, or at least one from a series, is currently showing in theatres worldwide.
Highest-grossing films
The top 25 highest grossing Tamil films worldwide are listed here.
Highest-grossing films in Tamil Nadu
Highest-grossing films by opening day
Highest-grossing films by month
Highest-grossing films by year
Highest-grossing franchises
Highest-grossing franchises
Rank
Franchise
Worldwide gross (crore)[ aa]
No. of films
Average gross (crore)
Highest grosser)
See also
Notes
References
^ Entertainment Bureau (15 March 2023). "Know The 1st Tamil Film To Have A Year-Long Box Office Run" . News18 . Archived from the original on 12 September 2024. Retrieved 12 September 2024 .
^ Sundaram, Nandhu (1 December 2019). "Thyagaraja Bhagavathar's 'Haridas': This 1944 film has stood the test of time" . The News Minute . Archived from the original on 12 September 2024. Retrieved 12 September 2024 .
^ Singh, Jatinder (6 March 2023). "RRR overtakes KGF Chapter 2, Pathaan headed towards 1050 crores" . PINKVILLA . Archived from the original on 20 March 2023. Retrieved 8 September 2024 .
^ "Top Grossers All Formats Worldwide Gross" . Box Office India. Archived from the original on 9 November 2018. Retrieved 1 October 2023 .
^ "2.0 Box Office: Rajinikanth and Akshay Kumar starrer is unstoppable, crosses Rs 700 crore mark" . PINKVILLA . 14 December 2018. Archived from the original on 6 November 2023. Retrieved 26 August 2024 .
^ "Before 'Jailer', here's a look at top 7 highest-grossing films of Rajinikanth" . India Today . Archived from the original on 28 August 2024. Retrieved 8 August 2023 .
^ "Vettaiyan worldwide box office Day 4: Rajinikanth's 7th entry in Rs 200 crore club" . India Today . 14 October 2024. Retrieved 19 October 2024 .
^ "Jailer worldwide closing box office collections: Superstar Rajinikanth film is Biggest Tamil film of All Time" . Pinkvilla . 4 October 2023. Archived from the original on 5 October 2023. Retrieved 16 January 2024 .
^ "Rewind 2023: How Rajinikanth's Jailer, Thalapathy Vijay's Leo, Gippy Grewal's Carry On Jatta 3 ruled the box-office" . Firstpost . 30 December 2023. Archived from the original on 1 January 2024. Retrieved 20 April 2024 .
^ "Salaar Worldwide Box Office Update" . Box Office India . 5 January 2024. Archived from the original on 5 January 2024. Retrieved 7 January 2024 .
^ "Leo (2023) Box Office Collection | Worldwide | Day Wise" . Pinkvilla . 14 April 2023. Archived from the original on 26 December 2023. Retrieved 29 December 2023 .
^ "இந்த ஆண்டு வெளியான தமிழ்ப் படங்களில் பாக்ஸ் ஆபீஸ் கலெக்ஷனில் அசத்திய டாப் 10 படங்கள்" . Zee News (in Tamil). 30 December 2022. Archived from the original on 11 August 2023. Retrieved 19 August 2023 . கிட்டதட்ட 450 கோடிக்கு மேல் படம் வசூலித்தது.
^ "Ponniyin Selvan 2 Final Box Office: Mani Ratnam's epic to end run with worldwide cume of Rs 330 crores" . Pinkvilla . 17 May 2023. Archived from the original on 24 May 2023. Retrieved 26 May 2023 . Ponniyin Selvan 1 that grossed over Rs 480 crores
^ "Ponniyin Selvan I box office: Aishwarya Rai-starrer crosses ₹500 crore worldwide, only the second Tamil film to do so" . Hindustan Times . 18 November 2022. Archived from the original on 18 November 2022. Retrieved 16 January 2023 .
^ "Devara All India Box Office Collections - 260 Cr Nett Plus" . Box Office India . 22 October 2024. It is also less than the Tamil film released a couple a month back Greatest Of All Time which did around 440 crore worldwide thanks to a huge $18.50 million overseas.
^ Dixit, Mohit (1 October 2024). "The GOAT Final Box Office Collections Worldwide: Thalapathy Vijay's action-drama to end its theatrical SHOWDOWN at Rs 456 crore; A Super-Hit" . Pinkvilla . Archived from the original on 1 October 2024. Retrieved 2 October 2024 .
^ "10 highest grossing Indian movies worldwide in 2022" . Deccan Herald . 21 December 2022. Archived from the original on 19 August 2023. Retrieved 19 August 2023 . It collected Rs 424 crore worldwide.
^ "Mani Ratnam's Ponniyin Selvan 1 surpasses Vikram in Tamil Nadu to emerge the HIGHEST grossing film of ALL TIME" . Bollywood Hungama . 10 October 2022. Archived from the original on 27 January 2023. Retrieved 30 September 2023 . Vikram has occupied the 2nd spot with Rs. 435 crore gross.
^ "Kamal Haasan's Vikram finishes theatrical run as highest grossing film ever in Tamil Nadu, registers record footfall" . Hindustan Times . 22 September 2022. Archived from the original on 10 October 2022. Retrieved 10 October 2022 . At the end of its theatrical run, the film registered a record footfall and grossed over ₹500 crore worldwide.
^ a b c "பொன்னியின் செல்வன் 2 வசூலை முறியடிக்கும் ஆதிபுருஷ்? விமர்சனங்களை ஓரம் கட்டும் கலெக்ஷன்!" . News18 Tamil (in Tamil). 19 June 2023. Archived from the original on 19 June 2023. Retrieved 19 June 2023 . இந்த ஆண்டு எதிர்பார்க்கப்பட்ட மற்றொரு பெரிய படமான பொன்னியின் செல்வன் 2 திரைப்படம் 345 கோடி வசூல் செய்திருந்ததாகவும் விரைவில் ஆதிபுருஷ் படம் பொன்னியின் செல்வன் 2 பட வசூலை முறியடிக்கும் எனவும் தகவல்கள் தெரிவிக்கின்றன.
^ " 'Amaran' box office collections day 33: Sivakarthikeyan's drama movie mints Rs 42 lakhs" . Times of India . 3 December 2024. Retrieved 3 December 2024 .
^ "Thalapathy Vijay gets featured on NYC's Times Square billboard ahead of his birthday" . The New Indian Express . 21 June 2023. Archived from the original on 24 August 2023. Retrieved 29 August 2023 .
^ "The 300 Crore Worldwide Films Post Pandemic Across India" . Box Office India. 25 May 2023. Archived from the original on 7 June 2023. Retrieved 1 October 2023 .
^ "Bigil, Petta, Viswasam, Kanchana 3, Nerkonda Paarvai, Kaithi power Kollywood's theatrical takings in 2019 to Rs 1000 cr" . Firstpost . 4 December 2019. Archived from the original on 28 December 2019. Retrieved 5 December 2019 .
^ "Bigil box office collection Day 26: Vijay's film earns Rs 300 crore globally; becomes his highest grosser in UK" . Business Today . 20 November 2019. Archived from the original on 29 October 2021. Retrieved 29 October 2021 .
^ "Tamil Star Vijay Reportedly Earned Rs 30 crore for Bigil, Reveal IT Raids" . News18 . 7 February 2020. Archived from the original on 1 November 2021. Retrieved 1 October 2021 .
^ a b Jogani, Rishil (21 May 2024). "7 Rajinikanth Highest Grossing Movies: 2Point0 Tops" . PINKVILLA . Archived from the original on 10 September 2024. Retrieved 10 September 2024 .
^ "2.0: All India - Overseas - Worldwide Update" . Box Office India. Archived from the original on 26 September 2022. Retrieved 30 May 2023 .
^ Mishra, Nivedita (3 August 2015). "Five non-Hindi films that smashed records at the box office" . Hindustan Times . Archived from the original on 18 July 2023. Retrieved 28 August 2024 .
^ K, Janani (8 August 2023). "Before 'Jailer', here's a look at top 7 highest-grossing films of Rajinikanth" . India Today . Archived from the original on 28 August 2024. Retrieved 27 August 2024 .
^ Raghu, Sunita (4 May 2014). "Setting the Cash Registers Ringing. The Top Ten Grossers So Far" . The New Indian Express . Archived from the original on 26 November 2023. Retrieved 28 August 2024 .
^ Srinivasan, Latha (25 October 2024). "Vettaiyan OTT release: Rajinikanth-starrer all set to premiere on November 7?" . Hindustan Times . Retrieved 27 October 2024 .
^ Dixit, Mohit (25 November 2024). "Biggest Kollywood Box Office Openers Worldwide 2024: Kanguva registers 4th highest opening; Grosses Rs 37.50 crore" . Pinkvilla . Retrieved 29 October 2024 .
^ "Sarkar box office collection: AR Murugadoss film crosses Rs 250 crore mark worldwide" . 28 November 2018. Archived from the original on 31 October 2021. Retrieved 6 June 2022 .
^ a b c "Baahubali to Thuppakki : Tamil Cinema's 100 Cr Films" . ndtv.com . 5 August 2015. Archived from the original on 15 June 2022. Retrieved 28 August 2024 .
^ "Varisu box office prediction + what Thalapathy Vijay's last 5 films made" . India Today . 11 January 2023. Archived from the original on 29 January 2023. Retrieved 29 January 2023 . Beast, which marked Vijay's first collaboration with Nelson Dilipkumar, opened to a good response at the box office despite receiving negative reviews.
^ "Vijay starrer Beast worldwide closing box office collections" . Pinkvilla . 23 June 2022. Archived from the original on 15 August 2022. Retrieved 6 August 2022 .
^ "Vijay's Beast to be out on Netflix on this date" . The Indian Express . 22 June 2023. Archived from the original on 22 December 2022. Retrieved 22 June 2023 .
^ a b c "Five non-Hindi films that smashed records at the box office" . Hindustan Times . 3 August 2015. Archived from the original on 18 July 2023. Retrieved 16 June 2022 .
^ a b "Mersal box-office collection: Vijay's film earns Rs 220 crore worldwide" . India Today . 8 November 2017. Archived from the original on 23 December 2021. Retrieved 27 August 2024 .
^ a b "Varisu box office collection: Vijay's Pongal release enters Rs 300 crore club" . The Indian Express . 6 February 2023. Archived from the original on 7 February 2023. Retrieved 7 February 2023 .
^ a b "Sooryavanshi Is Top INDIAN Film Post Pandemic In Two Weeks" . Box Office India . 19 November 2021. Archived from the original on 3 February 2023. Retrieved 19 November 2021 .
^ a b "Master director Lokesh Kanagaraj celebrates birthday with Mani Ratnam, Shankar. See pics" . India Today . 17 March 2021. Archived from the original on 16 April 2021. Retrieved 16 April 2021 .
^ a b " 'Thalapathy 65' will be a pan-Indian project: Cinematographer Manoj Paramahamsa" . The News Minute . 25 February 2021. Archived from the original on 25 April 2021. Retrieved 25 February 2021 .
^ Singh, Jatinder (23 June 2022). "Highest grossing Kollywood (Tamil) films of all time; Vikram box office collections nears 400 crores worldwide" . Pinkvilla . Archived from the original on 5 June 2023. Retrieved 30 May 2023 .
^ "Bigil Box Office Collection Day 10: Vijay's film tops the list of most successful Tamil films of 2019" . Business Today . 4 November 2019. Archived from the original on 19 April 2022. Retrieved 19 April 2022 .
^ Kumar, Karthik (5 November 2019). "Bigil box office day 11: Vijay's film dethrones Rajinikanth's Petta, enters ₹250 cr club worldwide" . Hindustan Times . Archived from the original on 18 January 2022. Retrieved 31 May 2023 .
^ a b Singh, Jatinder (23 June 2022). "Highest grossing Kollywood (Tamil) films of all time; Vikram box office collections nears 400 crores worldwide" . PINKVILLA . Archived from the original on 5 June 2023. Retrieved 28 August 2024 .
^ a b "Darbar BO: Film a colossal flop, distributors plan to approach Rajinikanth" . Hindustan Times . 31 January 2020. Archived from the original on 20 August 2020. Retrieved 16 June 2022 .
^ "Top Kollywood Openers of 2023: Ponniyin Selvan 2 tops; Varisu and Thunivu occupy 2nd and 3rd position" . 29 April 2023. Archived from the original on 20 June 2023. Retrieved 1 May 2024 .
^ "Bigil, Petta, Viswasam, Kanchana 3, Nerkonda Paarvai, Kaithi power Kollywood's theatrical takings in 2019 to Rs 1000 cr" . Firstpost . 4 December 2019. Archived from the original on 28 December 2019. Retrieved 5 December 2019 .
^ "Viswasam box office collection: Ajith starrer earns Rs 200 crore worldwide" . The Indian Express . 6 March 2019. Archived from the original on 6 March 2019. Retrieved 7 February 2023 .
^ "Annaatthe box office collection: The Rajinikanth starrer slows down, collects Rs 227.12 crore" . The Indian Express . 17 November 2021. Archived from the original on 23 July 2023. Retrieved 23 July 2023 .
^ Singh, Priyanka (29 December 2021). "Year Ender 2021: Master to Annaatthe, Highest-grossing Tamil Movies of 2021" . News18 . Archived from the original on 4 February 2022. Retrieved 12 September 2024 .
^ Singh, Jatinder (23 November 2023). "Leo worldwide closing box office collections: Vijay starrer is the Highest grossing Tamil film of All Time" . PINKVILLA . Archived from the original on 23 November 2023. Retrieved 12 September 2024 .
^ "Top Highest grossing films at Tamil Nadu box office: Rajinikanth starrer Jailer Second edging past Vikram" . PINKVILLA . 2 September 2023. Archived from the original on 3 September 2023. Retrieved 23 October 2023 .
^ Singh, Jatinder (4 October 2023). "Jailer worldwide closing box office collections: Superstar Rajinikanth film is Biggest Tamil film of All Time" . PINKVILLA . Archived from the original on 5 October 2023. Retrieved 12 September 2024 .
^ a b c d e Singh, Jatinder (2 September 2023). "Top Highest grossing films at Tamil Nadu box office: Rajinikanth starrer Jailer Second edging past Vikram" . PINKVILLA . Archived from the original on 3 September 2023. Retrieved 12 September 2024 .
^ {" 'Amaran' box office collections day 33: Sivakarthikeyan's drama movie mints Rs 42 lakhs" . Times of India . 3 December 2024. Retrieved 3 December 2024 .
^ "LEO Worldwide Opening Day Box Office Estimates: Vijay starrer destroys all records with Rs 140 crore start" . Pinkvilla . 23 October 2023. Archived from the original on 20 October 2023. Retrieved 23 October 2023 .
^ "Leo Box Office Collection Day 19: Can Vijay get past Rajinikanth's Jailer?" . mint . 7 November 2023. Archived from the original on 7 November 2023. Retrieved 7 November 2023 . Seven Screen Studio produced Leo raked in ₹148.50 crore at the global box office on its first day which marks the biggest opener for a Tamil film both in the domestic and international markets, surpassing all previous records by a big margin
^ "The GOAT Box Office Collections: Thalapathy Vijay starrer hits USD 5M+ overseas for 100cr worldwide first day haul" . Pinkvilla . 6 September 2024. Archived from the original on 6 September 2024. Retrieved 6 September 2024 .
^ "2.0 box office collection crosses Rs 100 crore on opening day" . India Today . 30 November 2018. Archived from the original on 1 October 2022. Retrieved 1 July 2023 .
^ "Ponniyin Selvan box office collection day 1: Mani Ratnam's film collects Rs 78.29 crore worldwide" . DNA India . 1 October 2022. Archived from the original on 14 October 2022. Retrieved 4 November 2024 .
^ "Beast box office collection day 1: Thalapathy Vijay's film earns Rs 72.67 crore worldwide" . DNA India . Archived from the original on 15 April 2022. Retrieved 15 June 2023 .
^ "உலக அளவில் ரூ.150 கோடி வசூலைக் குவித்த ரஜினியின் 'ஜெயிலர்' " . The Hindu Tamil . 13 August 2023. Archived from the original on 18 January 2024. Retrieved 19 August 2023 .
^ "Jailer box office collections: Rajinikanth starrer scores big overseas for 87 crores worldwide first day" . 11 August 2023. Archived from the original on 11 August 2023. Retrieved 20 September 2023 .
^ "Vijay's Sarkar earns Rs 47.85 cr on first day in India, outshines Sanju to emerge as 2018's highest-grossing opener" . Firstpost . 8 November 2018. Archived from the original on 12 August 2023. Retrieved 9 August 2023 .
^ " 'Sarkar' Day 1 Box Office collection: Thalapathy Vijay's film registers record-breaking opening, does well overseas too" . DNA India . Archived from the original on 18 July 2023. Retrieved 15 June 2023 .
^ India Today Entertainment Desk (12 July 2024). " 'Indian 2' box office collection day 1 prediction: Biggest Tamil opener of 2024" . India Today . Archived from the original on 17 July 2024. Retrieved 4 November 2024 .
^ Dixit, Mohit (11 October 2024). "Vettaiyan Opening Day India Box Office Collection: Rajinikanth and Amitabh Bachchan starrer takes SOLID start of Rs 36 crore" . Pinkvilla . Retrieved 11 October 2024 .
^ "Aranmanai 4 OTT Release Details Out" . Film Companion . 3 June 2024. Archived from the original on 7 September 2024. Retrieved 29 October 2024 .
^ Singh, Jatinder (10 June 2024). "Aranmanai 4 box office collections: Tamannah, Sundar C starrer Tops 100 Crore Worldwide" . Pinkvilla . Archived from the original on 10 June 2024. Retrieved 10 June 2024 .
^ T.N.Ashok (16 February 2013). "Tamil films alive and kicking" . Madras Musings . Archived from the original on 4 October 2013. Retrieved 14 June 2019 .
^ "சூர்யா...close up" . Kungumam . 29 November 2020. Archived from the original on 11 January 2021.
^ Chandra, Sekar (18 May 2016). "Suriya's 24 Joins Prestigious 100 Crore Club" . India Herald . Archived from the original on 7 May 2022. Retrieved 26 October 2019 .
^ Upadhyaya, Prakash (13 November 2017). "Mersal box office collection: Vijay crowned the king of Rs 100 crore club; consistent performer than Rajinikanth, Ajith" . International Business Times . India. Archived from the original on 6 June 2018. Retrieved 6 June 2018 .
^ "Vijay's Thuppakki makes 180 crore!" . The Times of India . Archived from the original on 7 March 2015. Retrieved 2 December 2016 .
^ "Bigil, Petta, Viswasam, Kanchana 3, Nerkonda Paarvai, Kaithi power Kollywood's theatrical takings in 2019 to Rs 1000 cr" . Firstpost . 4 December 2019. Archived from the original on 28 December 2019. Retrieved 15 June 2022 .