2024 in cinema was a melange of milestones and misplaced priorities. Hollywood celebrated a multiplicity of anniversaries as studios churned out reheated nostalgia. Franchise fatigue deepened as mid-budget originals gasped for air beneath the weight of bloated flops. Yet, the real revelations came from global auteurs and creativity flourished far from Tinseltown’s gilded grasp.
Indian cinema, in particular, redrew its boundaries this year. While Payal Kapadia’s radiant and rueful All We Imagine As Light conquered Cannes, Telugu superstar Allu Arjun’s macho masala film on a sandalwood smuggler created a storm at the box office, collecting more than ₹1500 crores globally.
Despite having suffered unforeseen losses at the box office, Malayalam cinema consistently made national headlines this year thanks to Manjummel Boys, Aavesham, Aattam, Aadujeevitham, and Premalu. Telugu cinema delivered two blockbusters — Kalki 2898 AD and Pushpa 2: The Rule —that crossed the 1000-crore mark at the box office, while the year also saw a few surprises in the form of small and medium budget films. However, it was still a middling year for Telugu cinema as many new releases failed to generate footfalls in theatres. Tamil cinema, on the other hand, had its most tumultuous run post-pandemic this year. While some of the biggest projects bit the dust, Tamil cinema-goers found their solace in the comparatively smaller films that excelled thanks to solid, intimate scripts. Kannada cinema endured a deathly silence in the first half of 2024, coming to life only in the latter half of the year. In an interesting year marred by controversy, the Kannada film industry saw many anticipated films tank at the box office, though the emergence of fresh talent proves to be a glimmer of hope for the future.
Meanwhile, for fans of K-Dramas, 2024 was a mixed bag; of shows that came in with immense hype, smaller shows that became standout hits, and great ideas that were let down once again by unfocussed writing. Anime too had a gloriously messy year; for every swing-and-a-miss this year, there was a knockout that left fans reeling.
2024 wasn’t perfect, but for seekers, it was rewarding. Here’s a collection of articles from The Hindu that looks back at how the year shaped up on the silver screen:
Published – January 02, 2025 12:10 pm IST
