The top highest grossing Tamil movies of all time are ranked based on the box office collections records in Tamil Nadu, India only. Some of the films listed below earned more than ₹500 crore rupees ($65 million) at the box office, and the top three films have grossed close to ₹1000 crore rupees ($131 million) each.
Gross box office figures are not adjusted for inflation or ticket price increases. This list does not include films from other languages (such as Bollywood films) but does include foreign co-productions that were predominantly shot in Tamil and featured Tamil stars.
This list also features the highest grossing Tamil movies from IMDb as they are capable of pulling such data which has been a reliable source to check the highest grossing Tamil movies 2022.
Highest Grossing Tamil Movie Box Office Collection Records
Below are the highest grossing Tamil movies of all time and their respective grosses worldwide.
| Rank | Movie Title | Released Year | Gross Amount ($) | Gross Amount (₹) |
| 1. | 2.0 | 2018 | $112 million | ₹856 crores |
| 2. | Enthiran | 2010 | $42 million | ₹320 crores |
| 3. | Bigil | 2019 | $40 million | ₹312 crores |
| 4. | Kabali | 2016 | $37.7 million | ₹288 crores |
| 5. | Sarkar | 2018 | $36 million | ₹277 crores |
| 6. | Mersal | 2017 | $34 million | ₹261 crores |
| 7. | Petta | 2019 | $33 million | ₹252 crores |
| 8. | I | 2015 | $32 million | ₹250 crores |
| 9. | Darbar | 2017 | $32 million | ₹247 crores |
| 10. | Vishwaroopam | 2013 | $29 million | ₹222 crores |
| 11. | Dasavatharam | 2008 | $26 million | ₹201 crores |
| 12. | Viswasam | 2019 | $26 million | ₹200 crores |
| 13. | Thuppakki | 2012 | $24 million | ₹188 crores |
| 14. | Nerkonda Paarvai | 2019 | $23 million | ₹182 crores |
| 15. | Theri | 2016 | $22 million | ₹173 crores |
| 16. | Kaala | 2018 | $21 million | ₹166 crores |
| 17. | Vivegam | 2017 | $21 million | ₹161 crores |
| 18. | Sivaji | 2007 | $20 million | ₹155 crores |
| 19. | Vedalam | 2015 | $19.9 million | ₹152 crores |
| 20. | Lingaa | 2014 | $19 million | ₹150 crores |
| 21. | 24 | 2016 | $19 million | ₹150 crores |
| 22. | Singam 2 | 2013 | $17 million | ₹135 crores |
| 23. | Veeram | 2014 | $17 million | ₹135 crores |
| 24. | Kaththi | 2014 | $17 million | ₹131 crores |
| 25 | Kanchana 3 | 2019 | $17 million | ₹130 crores |
1. 2.0 (2018)
Written and directed by Shankar, Akshay Kumar, Amy Jackson, and Sudhanshu Pandey star in 2.0, a film that is a sequel to 2010’s Enthiran. 2.0 tells a story about humans and robots having a common enemy: each other. It has generated over ₹1000 crores since its release in 2018 making it the highest grossing Tamil Nadu movie in the history of the Kollywood movie industry.
2. Enthiran (2010)
Among the top 10 Highest Grossing Tamil Movies ever is Enthiran, a 2010 Indian science fiction-action film co-written, produced, and directed by S. Shankar. The film stars Rajinikanth and Aishwarya Rai in lead roles, with Danny Denzongpa, Santhanam, and Karunas in supporting roles. It was partially shot at JC Strossen College.
3. Bigil (2019)
Bigil is a 2019 Indian Tamil-language action comedy film directed by Samuthirakani. It features Vijay Sethupathi and Parvathy Nair in lead roles, with a supporting cast including Daniel Balaji, Madhu, Robo Shankar, and Yogi Babu. The film began production in August 2018 and was released on 1 February 2019.
4. Kabali (2016)
In 2016 Kabali broke all records for box office success in India. It grossed $35,789,063 USD and became the highest grossing Tamil movie worldwide in that same year. It gathers much popularity from its storyline and the faces behind the characters.
5. Sarkar (2018)
The blockbuster political drama has a lot going for it: Big-name actors (Amitabh Bachchan, in his return to Bollywood after more than a decade, and Aamir Khan), top-notch production values, and a gripping story about greed and ambition. It’s among one of 2018’s highest grossing Tamil movies. But what makes Sarkar unique is its ability to be a mass entertainer—and political thriller.
6. Mersal (2017)
Vijay’s Mersal is currently one of top grossing movies in India. Its budget was close to 100 crore rupees and it crossed 500 crore box office collections worldwide. Produced by Atlee and directed by Atlee and KV Vijayendra Prasad, Mersal was a huge hit among the Tamil audience for its moderately strong dialogues and its content on GST.
7. Petta (2019)
It is an Indian Tamil language action film directed by Karthik Subbaraj. The film features Rajinikanth and Vijay Sethupathi in lead roles. It was produced by Wunderbar Films on a budget of ₹140 crores, making it one of the most expensive films ever made in India. Petta grossed over Rs 250 crore worldwide.
8. I (2015)
“I” is a 2015 Indian romantic thriller film written and directed by S. Shankar. It was produced by Subaskaran under his production company, Colour Yellow Productions, in association with Fox Star Studios. The film stars Vikram, Amy Jackson, and Suresh Gopi in lead roles while Rana Daggubati, Santhanam, and Ramkumar Ganesan play other pivotal supporting roles. The story revolves around an older businessman with three wives and their love interests.
9. Darbar (2020)
Darbar (2020) is an upcoming Indian political thriller film, directed by Abhinesh Arun and produced by Aryan Rajesh. The film stars Dhanush, Nayanthara in lead roles. Featuring music composed by Santhosh Narayanan, Darbar (2020) is scheduled to release on 1 January 2020.
10. Vishwaroopam (2013)
This movie was a super hit and grossed 100 crores in its lifetime. The film was a remake of the Hollywood film Olympus Has Fallen. It is directed by Kamal Haasan who also co-wrote and produced it under his production house Ammachi Creations. It featured Rahul Bose, Pooja Kumar, Andrea Jeremiah, and Shekhar Kapur in prominent roles. The film is about a terrorist attack on India by Pakistan; however, it is shown from the Indian perspective.
11. Dasavatharam (2008)
This movie starring Kamal Haasan is one of the highest grossing Tamil movies to date. The movie was also written, directed, and produced by him. This epic film was a huge success at the box office according to its budget. The movie had seven chapters with each chapter starring a different actor.
12. Viswasam (2019)
While Viswasam is just another comedy movie, it managed to rake in a whopping ₹200 Crore ($26 Million). The main reason for Viswasam’s success was because it was released on Pongal (2019) and did exceptionally well among all South Indian States.
13. Thuppakki (2012)
The movie grossed $24,100,000. Directed by AR Murugadoss, it had Vijay and Kajal Aggarwal in lead roles. A remake of an old Telugu film named Athadu, which starred Mahesh Babu and Trisha Krishnan, both these actors acted in their debut roles too.
14. Nerkonda Paarvai (2019)
Sivakarthikeyan’s Nerkonda Paarvai has collected a total amount of $23 million [₹ 182 crores] from the overseas box office in four days, including a day before its India release on April 19th.
15. Theri (2016)
This movie grossed 38.79 crores within 7 days of its release at theaters! With millions of tickets sold so far, Theri has already beaten Rajinikanth’s Kabali to become his highest grosser ever. This war drama film is directed by Atlee Kumar and produced by Kalaipuli S Thanu under V Creations banner.
16. Kaala (2018)
The much-awaited movie by Rajinikanth, which stars Dhanush and Nana Patekar in pivotal roles, earned a whopping ₹166 crores at the box office. It made it successfully to our highest grossing Tamil movies IMDb list and happens to be the 16th on the list.
17. Vivegam (2017)
Vivegam is a slick action thriller with blistering action scenes and a narrative that races from scene to scene without ever slowing down. At almost 2 hours and 20 minutes, it doesn’t waste any time getting to what’s really important in a masala film.
18. Sivaji (2007)
Sivaji is a film that has its heart in the right place and with some care, it could have been made into a genuinely uplifting vehicle for spreading the message of kindness. But Sivaji’s good intentions are marred by poor writing and shoddy editing, something which big-budget films should be able to avoid. Although it made it to our top rankings.
19. Vedalam (2015)
The latest from director Siva features Ajith Kumar as an undercover RAW agent who infiltrates an island to expose a group of terrorists. It earned over ₹152 crores ($19.9 million) worldwide and was selected for the 69th Filmfare Awards South.
20. Lingaa (2014)
$19 million (Approximately ₹150 crores) at Box Office India. Directed by K.S. Ravikumar and Starring Rajinikanth, Anushka Shetty in Lead Roles. Produced by Kalaipuli S Thanu & Distributed by Sun Pictures. Music Composed By A R Rahman & Sivaji Raja with cinematography handled by A L Rathnam and editing done by Anthony Gonsalves
21. 24 (I) (2016)
I have no idea what this movie is but the storyline seems to be very insightful perhaps that helped it to become the 21st highest grossing movie in Tamil Nadu of all time. It did about $19 million (₹150 crores) in box office collections, worldwide.
22. Singam 2 (2013)
This movie is a story about a brave police officer who has been assigned to solve a case. This was an edge-of-the-seat thriller, with loads of twists and turns along its path. The protagonist cop soon realizes that his opponent is far more than he had imagined and that there’s more to him than meets the eye. As he uncovers layer after layer, he finds out what it takes to be truly brave and how difficult it is to do justice in our system today.
23. Veeram (2014)
Ultimately, Veeram is a journey of love, faith, and sacrifice. It’s a film that’s best enjoyed if you don’t look for logic in it or make comparisons with the original Veeram.
24. Kaththi (2014)
$17 million worldwide gross. Based on a true story, Kaththi was controversial because it showed government corruption, and featured a lot of blood (more than 300 liters were used in shooting) and violence. The movie’s anti-government message struck a chord with audiences; more than 15 lakh people watched Kaththi in just two days at one cinema hall in Chennai alone!
25. Kanchana 3 (2019)
If you are looking for a Tamil horror movie then Kanchana 3 2019 full movie is the best option. You will love to watch the movie once again and again. It’s the 25th top grossing Tamil movie you wouldn’t want to miss.
FAQs
What is Tamil film industry called?
Do you know what is Tamil film industry is called? Many of you might be aware of the fact that the Tamil film industry is the second largest film industry in India. But do you know what is Tamil films called? The short answer is that “the Tamil film industry is called the Kollywood which is named after Kodambakam, a small place in Chennai and the Telugu film industry is called the Tollywood.
What are Tamil Movies Called?
Find out what are Tamil movies called and where to watch Tamil movies online. Tamil movies are known for their famous actors, directors, and cinematography. Tamil is based in Chennai, Tamil Nadu, and the movies are in the Tamil language which is one of the biggest languages in India. The Tamil movies are known as Kollywood.