Tollywood has had a mixed year at the box office in 2026. While a few films have delivered big numbers and emerged as blockbusters, several big-star films have failed badly despite huge expectations.
According to trade experts, these are the top 10 highest-grossing Telugu films globally so far this year and their approximate gross:
1. Peddi – Rs. 340 crores | Average to Below Average
2. Mana Shankara Vara Prasad Garu – Rs. 301 crores | Superhit
3. The Raja Saab – Rs. 206 crores | Epic Disaster
4. Irumudi – Rs. 120 crores (6 days) | Huge Blockbuster
5. Maa Inti Bangaaram – Rs. 96 crores | Superhit
6. Ustaad Bhagat Singh – Rs. 95 crores | Disaster
7. Anaganaga Oka Raju – Rs. 80 crores | Semi Hit
8. Lenin – Rs. 69 crores | Hit
9. Dacoit – Rs. 55 crores | Average
10. Chennai Love Story – Rs. 51 crores | Semi Hit
The biggest surprise is Peddi. Despite becoming the highest-grossing Telugu film of the year so far with Rs. 340 crores, its trade verdict is only Average to Below Average. The huge gross has not translated into any profits because of the film’s massive investment and high breakeven target.
Mana Shankara Vara Prasad Garu is a different story. With Rs. 301 crores worldwide, the film emerged as another Superhit for Anil Ravipudi.
The Raja Saab is perhaps the biggest shock on the list. The film needed around Rs. 400 crores gross for breakeven and it hardly managed 50% of it.
Irumudi is the year’s biggest success story in terms of momentum. The film has already grossed Rs. 120 crores in just six days and has been declared a Huge Blockbuster. The film is racing towards Rs. 150 crores gross, which should be easily done by the end of its second weekend.
Maa Inti Bangaaram has also emerged as a Superhit, while Ustaad Bhagat Singh has turned into another disaster for Pawan Kalyan.
It is still a sad scenario as no Telugu film has crossed even the Rs. 500-crore gross mark till now. The business has grown leaps and bounds and achieving at least a couple of Rs. 1000-crore grossers has become a bare minimum for the Tollywood industry to thrive.
With several major releases like Fauzi, The Paradise, Rana Baali, Rowdy Janardhana, NBK111, and others still lined up for 2026, this top 10 is likely to change significantly before the year ends.
