While 2025 will be remembered for historic blockbusters like Dhurandhar, Kantara Chapter 1, Saiyaara, Chhaava, and Lokah: Chapter One, the year also delivered a harsh reality check for the film industry. Behind the record-breaking success stories lies a brutal statistic — over 80% of Indian films released in 2025 failed at the box office.
And sitting at the very bottom of that list is a film no one expected to collapse this badly.
A superstar, massive expectations — and a shocking outcome
The dubious title of 2025’s biggest box office bomb belongs to Vrusshabha, a Malayalam epic drama headlined by none other than Mohanlal. What makes the failure sting even more is the timing. The film arrived just months after L2: Empuraan ended its run as the highest-grossing Malayalam film of all time, placing Mohanlal at the absolute peak of commercial success.
Expectations were sky-high. The result, however, was catastrophic.
Box office numbers that stunned the trade
Released on Christmas, Vrusshabha opened to an alarming start. On Day 1, the film managed to collect only ₹60 lakh in India, while overseas markets were almost non-existent. The situation worsened rapidly.
By the end of Day 6, the film had earned:
- ₹1.5 crore in India
- Just $30,000 overseas
That pushed its worldwide gross to roughly ₹2 crore, an almost unbelievable figure for a film mounted on a reported ₹70 crore budget. The final tally translated into a staggering 97% loss, making it the worst-performing Indian film of the year by a huge margin.
Pulled from theatres before completing a week
When even Mohanlal’s presence failed to draw audiences, exhibitors moved quickly to limit their losses. Several theatres across Kerala removed Vrusshabha from screens by Tuesday, meaning the film didn’t even complete a full week in cinemas.
Trade insiders say the film is unlikely to add anything meaningful to its lifetime total, effectively sealing its fate as a cautionary tale.
What went wrong?
Industry chatter points to a mix of weak word of mouth, poor audience connect, and a concept that failed to translate into a compelling big-screen experience. In a year where audiences strongly rewarded content-driven cinema, Vrusshabha simply didn’t give viewers a reason to show up.
About the film
Written and directed by Nanda Kishore, Vrusshabha featured Mohanlal in a dual role, spanning two timelines — a medieval king and a modern-day businessman. The cast also included Samarjit Lankesh, Nayan Sarika, Ragini Dwivedi, Ajay, and Neha Saxena.
The film released on December 25 across Malayalam, Telugu, Hindi, and Kannada, but the multi-language strategy did little to rescue it.
Final words
Vrusshabha is a stark reminder that star power alone no longer guarantees box office safety. In a year where audiences rewarded strong storytelling and originality, the film’s collapse stands out as one of the most dramatic failures Indian cinema has seen in recent times. For 2025, its legacy won’t be spectacle or scale — but a hard lesson written in red ink at the box office.
