The next big pan-India hit: After Kalki 2898 AD, can Pushpa 2, Devara, Kanguva strike gold at box office?

Director Nag Ashwin’s larger-than-life pan-Indian sci flick Kalki 2898 AD has grossed more than ₹700 crore at the box office since its release on June 27. There is no stopping this Prabhas juggernaut and it’s creating more box office records as its theatrical run increases. But Kalki 2898 AD is perhaps just the beginning of this south pan-Indian film success this year. Come July 12, we will see the release of director Shankar’s Indian 2 starring Kamal Haasan and post that there numerous star films from the Tamil and Telugu film industries lined up. Interestingly, the genres are diverse and the content seems to be strong (at least on paper). (Also read: Sorry Mahesh Babu fans, Nag Ashwin isn't casting him or anyone as Krishna in Kalki 2898 AD franchise)

Kollywood’s releases up next

The Tamil film industry didn’t see a great 2024 first half since there were numerous damp squibs at the box office. However, the second half of 2024, has some exciting films that the Tamil audience is looking forward to as there are many star releases. July 12 sees the release of Indian 2, which is highly-anticipated as it’s the sequel to the 1996 blockbuster, Indian. And on July 26, Dhanush’s film Raayan will hit theatres. Raayan is written and directed by Dhanush as well – this is his second directorial after the superhit Pa Paandi in 2017. Given that this movie is an action thriller, the buzz is that it will be one to watch out for. One movie that has been pushed several times is the Vikram-starrer Thangalaan, directed by Pa Ranjith, and it finally releases on August 15. This movie is a period action drama which revolves around gold mining during British rule. While some may feel that this could have shades of other films (think KGF), rest assured that with Pa Ranjith at the helm, this movie will be different.

When there is a Thalapathy Vijay film release, there is undoubtedly an Ajith film release and given that they both do just one movie a year, there is a lot of hype and buzz around them. Vijay’s GOAT (Greatest of All Time) directed by Venkat Prabhu is slotted for the Ganesh Chathurthi weekend (September 5), while Ajith’s Vidaamuyarchi with director Magizh Thirumeni is a Diwali release (October 31). Vijay’s market has expanded in recent times to Kerala and the Hindi belt as well and there is hope that GOAT will resonate with audiences across India. The Superstar of Kollywood, Rajinikanth, has Vettaiyan releasing on October 10 and this film will cater mostly to the Tamil audience.

However, all eyes right now are on Suriya’s Kanguva, a fantasy period action film reportedly made on a budget of ₹300 crore. This is apparently one of the most expensive Indian films ever made and has Bollywood actors like Bobby Deol and Disha Patani, as it’s going to be a mega pan-Indian release. Director Siva has gone all out to make this a huge spectacle on screen and given that Kalki has just taken the world by storm, Kanguva could too. Save the date - October 10.

Jr NTR and Allu Arjun will vie for BO success

The Telugu film industry, especially director SS Rajamouli, has been instrumental in creating pan-Indian films and successful ones at that. Numerous other directors like Sukumar have followed this path and the second half of 2024 has some exciting films in the pipeline. While Rebel Star Prabhas has come back with a bang with the stupendous success of Kalki 2898AD, his peers in the Telugu film industry are not far behind.

Allu Arjun whose Pushpa grossed more than ₹320 crore when it released in 2021, is gearing up for Pushpa 2’s release on December 6. And director Sukumar has promised a bigger and better film than the first one which should do even better at the box office according to him. Meanwhile, Jr NTR has action drama Devara, by director Koratala Siva, lined up with Janhvi Kapoor and Saif Ali Khan. This will be his big pan-Indian release post Rajamouli’s RRR in 2022. While RRR reportedly raked in nearly ₹1200 crore at the box office worldwide, Devara (made on a budget of ₹300 crore) could see some big numbers at the box office as well.

All said and done, the Indian audience is in for a truly visual treat from July to December as nearly every month sees a big pan-Indian film release.