Not Singham Again, Stree 2 or Bhool Bhulaiyaa 3, this South blockbuster is IMDb’s Most Popular Indian Movie of 2024
As the year 2024 nears its end, the most popular Indian movie of the year has been revealed by IMDb, and it’s not one of the usual suspects.
While fans were eagerly awaiting the releases of Singham Again, Stree 2, and Bhool Bhulaiyaa 3, a South blockbuster has stolen the show and taken the crown as the most popular Indian movie of the year.
Most popular Indian movies of 2024
IMDb released the list on Wednesday. Prabhas and Deepika Padukone’s Kalki 2898 AD emerged as the Most Popular Indian Movie of 2024, followed by Stree 2 (second spot) and Maharaja (third position).
Filmmaker Nag Ashwin is ecstatic about his film becoming the No. 1 ranking movie of the year. “It’s truly amazing to see Kalki 2898 AD being celebrated as IMDb’s Most Popular Indian Movie of 2024. This recognition is a testament to the love and support of our incredible audience, who embraced the film with open hearts. We poured our souls into the film and it’s so humbling to see it resonate with all ages across the world,” he said in a statement.
Ajay Devgn and R. Madhavan’s Shaitaan was in the fourth spot, with Deepika Padukone and Hrithik Roshan’s Fighter securing the 5th position in the list.
The list has seven Hindi titles, followed by one each in Telugu (Kalki 2898 AD), Tamil (Maharaja), and Malayalam (Manjummel Boys at 6th).
The presence of three sequels: Stree 2, Bhool Bhulaiyaa 3 (7th position) and Singham Again (9th spot) underscore the audience’s appetite for established franchises. Raghav Juyal’s Kill was in the 8th spot and Kiran Rao’s Laapataa Ladies in the 10th position.
Interestingly, Deepika starred in three movies on the list: Fighter, Kalki 2898-AD, and Singham Again.
The year-end list is based on the actual page views of more than 250 million monthly visitors to IMDb worldwide. It features films released in India between January 1 and November 25, 2024 which have an average IMDb user rating of 5 or higher.
From the web space
Sanjay Leela Bhansali’s grand Heeramandi: The Diamond Bazaar emerged as the Most Popular Indian Web Series of 2024. It was followed by the vengeful world of Mirzapur, light-hearted Panchayat and thrilling Gyaarah Gyaarah.
The web series list features representation from five subscription-based services, with three titles each from Netflix and Prime Video, two from JioCinema, and one each from Disney+ Hotstar and Zee5.
Varun Dhawan and Samantha’s Citadel: Honey Bunny was on 5th spot in the list, with Maamla Legal Hai in the 6th position, Bhuvan Bam’s Taaza Khabar in the 7th position, Murder in Mahim in the 8th spot, Kay Kay Menon’s Shekhar Home in the 9th spot and comedy show The Great Indian Kapil Show taking the 10th position.
The Great Indian Kapil Show is the first non-fiction series to rank in an IMDb year-end list.
Talking about the list, Tanya Bami, series head of Netflix India, said, “Seeing our Indian series earn the top recognition is truly heartening. Heeramandi: The Diamond Bazaar, our most ambitious drama series yet, became a cultural phenomenon. Maamla Legal Hai emerged as a breakout hit, skillfully blending courtroom drama with refreshing humour, and The Great Indian Kapil Show defined weekend entertainment. The inclusion of these three unique series in the list demonstrates the variety and quality of our India slate and reinforces the importance of long-format storytelling in our content strategy”.
To this, Shilangi Mukherji, director and head – SVOD, Prime Video, India, shared, “2024 was a remarkable year for us as we not only launched new series, but also brought back new seasons of our super-successful franchises. A testament of that customer love is to see three of our series in the top 5 in the list”.
As per Yaminie Patodia, head of IMDb India, the lists “offer valuable insights into viewer preferences, guiding both creators and fans in their entertainment choices”.
“These lists showcase the incredible breadth of Indian storytelling that captivated global audiences this year,” she added.