Malayalam cinema has been on an incredible box office run, with 2025 and 2026 releases now dominating a chart that was once ruled by older hits. Here’s how the all-time list stacks up.

Rank	Movie	Year	Worldwide Gross
1	Bethlehem Kudumba Unit	2026	₹309.05 crore
2	Lokah Chapter 1: Chandra	2025	₹305 crore
3	L2: Empuraan	2025	₹265–268 crore
4	Manjummel Boys	2024	₹242.3 crore
5	Drishyam 3	2026	₹238.61–239.20 crore

A Rom-Com Rewrites History

Bethlehem Kudumba Unit, Nivin Pauly’s sleeper rom-com hit, now sits at the very top of Malayalam cinema’s all-time chart — a remarkable feat for a film in a genre that rarely tops box office records, as detailed in our coverage of its record-breaking run.

2025 and 2026 Dominate

Four of the top five entries come from just the last two years, with Lokah Chapter 1, L2: Empuraan, and Drishyam 3 all crossing well past ₹230 crore. Rounding out the top 10 are Vaazha II: Biopic of a Billion Bros (₹234–235 crore), Thudarum (₹234–235 crore), 2018 (₹180 crore), The Goat Life (₹158.50 crore), and Aavesham (₹156 crore).

Why Malayalam Cinema Is Surging

This surge reflects Malayalam cinema’s growing pan-Indian appeal, with strong theatrical runs increasingly backed by OTT buzz and word-of-mouth — a pattern also visible in the biggest opening weekends of the year, as covered in our ranking of Malayalam’s biggest opening weekends.

FAQ

Q: What is the highest-grossing Malayalam movie of all time?
Bethlehem Kudumba Unit currently leads with ₹309.05 crore worldwide.

Q: How many 2026 films are in the Malayalam all-time top 10?
Three: Bethlehem Kudumba Unit, Drishyam 3, and Vaazha II.

Q: Is Bethlehem Kudumba Unit still earning?
Yes, it was still in theatrical release when this figure was recorded, so its final total could climb further.

Q: Which genre dominates this list?
A mix of thrillers, biopics, and rom-coms, showing the range driving Malayalam cinema’s success.