The box office in 2025 has thrown up some unexpected winners, proving that the audience’s taste is shifting rapidly.
With three months still left in the year, the three biggest films so far are Sankranthiki Vastunnam, Court which proved to be blockbusters.
Adding to the surprise, films like '#Single' and 'Mad Square' have managed to reach breakeven, with 'Single' even crossing into hit territory. Now the September release "Little Hearts" is also showing the signs of surprise success.
What makes this remarkable is that none of these films were projected as certain winners at the start of the year. Expectations were minimal. Yet they stand tall, signaling a change in how the public engages with cinema.
The clear trend is that audiences are no longer turning up for “routine” or “safe” content. They demand freshness, originality and something that feels different, regardless of whether it’s from a star driven vehicle or a modest project.
Filmmakers can clearly see the trend now that movies won’t get a sure shot openings unless the promotion clicks with the audience. But when a film does connect, the success can be huge with no real limit. That is the known formula but not in control. Everything is unpredictable now.
The surprise hits of 2025 show that nothing is certain anymore, and the next big blockbuster can come from the most unlikely place.
Even in Bollywood only three films stood out- Saiyyara, Chaava and Mahavatar Narasimha, all three the unpredictable blockbusters. Tamil industry has no such successes this year yet.
