The first half of 2025 has been largely unimpressive for Tamil cinema. Theatres across Tamil Nadu saw solid footfalls for only six films, marking a dull period for the industry. Particularly, June has been extremely dry, with almost 15 days passing without any notable traction at the box office — a sharp contrast to earlier months, where at least one film managed to draw audiences every alternate week.

One of the biggest letdowns was the highly anticipated Thug Life, which failed to live up to expectations. Additionally, the absence of any strong pre-planned releases during this window left a significant void in theatre programming and audience engagement.

 
Despite the overall sluggish performance, a handful of films stood out and registered solid box office success. Here's a look at the top performers of the first half of 2025:

Blockbusters

Dragon
Tourist Family
Madha Gaja Raja
Maaman
Kudumbasthan

Hit

Good Bad Ugly

Average

Retro

Closing Note:

Good Bad Ugly remains the highest grosser in Tamil Nadu so far this year, with an estimated gross of around Rs. 170 crore. Dragon followed with a strong performance in the north of Rs. 80 crore, while Tourist Family did well with collections in the Rs. 63–65 crore range. Madha Gaja Raja and Retro crossed the Rs. 50 crore mark, with Maaman and Kudumbasthan also registering respectable theatrical runs.