Only 2 Kannada Films Cross ₹10 Crore Mark in Karnataka in First Half of 2026

During the first six months of 2026, the Kannada film industry struggled significantly at the Karnataka box office, with only one or two out of more than 100 releases finding commercial success. Local box office reports indicate that only two Kannada films managed to cross the ₹10 crore gross collection mark during this period, highlighting a major slump for local cinema.

In contrast, non-local language films from the Telugu, Tamil, Malayalam, and Hindi industries performed exceptionally well in Karnataka. For several of these industries, Karnataka emerged as the highest-earning market outside of their home states.

The top-performing Kannada film of the year was 'KD', directed by Jogi Prem and starring Dhruva Sarja. The film reportedly achieved a gross collection of ₹25 crore in the state. Although the highly anticipated movie secured a strong opening, its collections failed to sustain momentum. The film 'Love Mocktail 3' secured the second spot among Kannada releases.

Meanwhile, other language films drew massive audiences to theatres across Karnataka. The Telugu film 'Peddi', starring Ram Charan, collected ₹24 crore in Karnataka in its very first week, yielding an ₹11 crore share for distributors. The film continued its successful run into its second week.

Similarly, Suriya's Tamil fantasy entertainer 'Karuppu', directed by RJ Balaji, collected ₹23 crore in the state. The Malayalam film 'Drishyam 3', starring Mohanlal, grossed ₹14 crore in Karnataka.

The biggest non-local success came from the Bollywood spy thriller 'Dhurandhar 2', which collected over ₹100 crore in Karnataka, following a successful dubbed release.