After a middling May, the first half of 2024 suddenly looks a lot brighter for the Indian box office, thanks to a bumper June. With Kalki 2898 AD leading the way, June roped in Rs 1,260 crore, the most by a single month so far this year. The cumulative gross domestic box office collection for the period between January and June 2024 stands at Rs 5,015 crore, which is three per cent higher than the same duration last year, as per the India Box Office Report by Ormax Media.

June’s success owes a lot to Kalki 2898 AD, Nag Ashwin’s epic science fiction film headlined by Prabhas, Amitabh Bachchan, Deepika Padukone and Kamal Haasan, which rocketed to the top of the monthly and yearly charts with a staggering tally of Rs 772 crore. Munjya and Chandu Champion (both Hindi), Maharaja (Tamil) and Jatt & Juliet 3 (Punjabi) also played their part in bolstering June’s numbers. Apart from June, March is the only month to surpass Rs 1,000 crore at the box office this year, finishing with Rs 1,004 crore. The most disappointing month of the year till now remains April, which could only manage Rs 459 crore.

Kalki 2898 AD’s remarkable box office run means that there is a new leader atop 2024’s list of highest-grossers for the first time since January. After retaining pole position for five months, Fighter (Rs 243) crore slips to second place, just ahead of Hanu-Man (Rs 240) crore in third. Shaitaan (Rs 178 crore) and Manjummel Boys (Rs 170 crore) round up the top five. The sole Hollywood film to make it to the top 10 for the first six months of 2024 is Godzilla x Kong: The New Empire, grabbing seventh place with Rs 136 crore.

In terms of language share, Hindi is still some way ahead, with its 35 per cent well clear of Telugu’s 23 per cent and Malayalam’s 15 per cent. The only other language to reach double figures is Tamil with 12 per cent. Interestingly, despite its lead, Hindi’s share has fallen by two per cent from the same time last year, while Malayalam has already overtaken its box office numbers from the entirety of 2023.

Much like 2023, the second half of 2024 is expected to bring in more eyeballs and revenue, with the likes of Pushpa 2: The Rule, Stree 2, Singham Again, The Greatest Of All Time, and Devara slated for release. This should see 2024 easily cross Rs 10,000 crore and potentially create a new record for the Indian box office, which currently belongs to 2023’s haul of Rs 12,226 crore.