Following a disappointing April, the box office regained a semblance of momentum in May, with a gross collection of Rs 708 crore. While no film managed to enter the Rs 100 crore club, Malayalam cinema outperformed Hindi cinema for the second month in succession. However, it was Tamil blockbuster Aranmanai 4 that led the way for May, as per the India Box Office Report by Ormax Media.

With a stellar ensemble comprising Sundar C, Tamannaah Bhatia and Raashii Khanna, Aranmanai 4’s combination of comedy and horror worked wonders, roping in Rs 85 crore in May. This marked the first time a Tamil film has topped the domestic box office for the month since Vijay-starrer Leo in October 2023. Aranmanai 4’s numbers were also considerably higher than those of the Tamil action thriller, Garudan, which ended May with Rs 62 crore. Malayalam comedy Guruvayoorambala Nadayil grabbed third place with Rs 60 crore, marginally ahead of Rajkumar Rao-starrer Srikanth, which accumulated Rs 56 crore.

Rao’s other release in May, Mr and Mrs Mahi, co-starring Janhvi, earned Rs 45 crore, despite releasing on the last day of the month. This was enough for the film to share the fifth spot for May with Malayalam action comedy, Turbo.

With no film crossing Rs 90 crore in May, the list for the highest-grossing films of 2024 remains what it was last month. Fighter leads the way for the fifth month on the bounce with a collection of Rs 243 crore, followed by Hanu-Man (Rs 240 crore) and Shaitaan (Rs 178 crore).

A decent performance in May means that the first five months of 2024 have aggregated Rs 3,791 crore, putting it almost at par with the same period in 2023. At this rate, 2024 is projected to close at Rs 9,098 crore.

In terms of language share, Hindi took a hit, losing three percentage points from last month to slip to 33 per cent. Malayalam and Telugu finished level at 19 per cent apiece, with Tamil a distant third at 13 per cent.