Animated films in India have mostly found their audience on Television and digital platforms, with only a few managing moderate success in theaters. Titles like Hanuman (2005) and Roadside Romeo (2008) performed decently but didn’t make big box office waves. While international animated films like Incredibles 2 and Frozen 2 drew decent crowds here, Indian-made animated movies have generally struggled to break through commercially.
That changed with Mahavatar Narsimha, an animated devotional film directed by Ashwin Kumar. Released in multiple languages across India, the film gained steady traction in its first week and then saw a significant jump in its second weekend, helped by positive word of mouth and strong family audiences.
By the end of its second weekend, Mahavatar Narsimha crossed the ₹100 crore mark at the Indian box office. This makes it the first animated film—Indian or international, to reach this milestone domestically.
Before this, animated films like Spider-Man: Across the Spider-Verse, Incredibles 2, and Frozen 2 had managed just over ₹50 crore in India. Among Indian productions, Hanuman held the record with a little over ₹10 crore. Mahavatar Narsimha has now gone well past all of them.
Looking ahead, the film is expected to reach ₹150 crore and could even cross ₹200 crore worldwide if the current trend continues. Backed by this success, Hombale Films has announced a long-term plan to expand the Mahavatar Cinematic Universe over the next 12 years, with six more films planned until 2037.
This could signal a shift for Indian animation, showing there’s growing audience interest in animated stories rooted in Indian themes. The success of Mahavatar Narsimha might open the door for more large-scale animated projects in the country.
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