2026 may not have been a red-letter year for Indian cinema at the box office, but it has seen some massive individual successes across languages. Be it Dhurandhar the Revenge, Jana Nayagan, or Awarapan 2, films have broken through in various genres and across scales and budgets to script success. But none of these is the biggest hit of the year from India. That record belongs to a spiritual film with no star, a small budget, and hardly any promotion. And yet, it has earned more than 20x its production budget.
India’s most profitable film of 2026
The devotional drama Hanuman Ansh, about the life and legacy of spiritual leader Neem Karoli Baba, is the biggest box-office hit in Indian cinema this year, earning a staggering 2000% profit and already making 21x its budget on the back of strong word-of-mouth. Written and directed by Vishal Chaturvedi, Hanuman Ansh features an ensemble cast, with Chandan Anand and Shobhinav Satyaa in the lead roles. The film was made on a shoestring budget of ₹2 crore and released in theatres without much fanfare on August 7. It failed to gain traction initially and was written off as a box-office failure in its first week.
However, Hanuman Ansh began to generate enough buzz by the second weekend to force exhibitors to increase their shows. This led to a huge surge in its collections. The film earned just ₹60 lakh in its opening weekend. This figure jumped to a staggering ₹28 crore in its fourth weekend. Hanuman Ansh has now earned over ₹42 crore net in India and is heading towards the ₹50-crore mark. Industry insiders say that given its pace, a ₹100-crore lifetime run is not unfathomable. If it achieves that, it will become one of the most profitable Indian films of all time.
How Hanuman Ansh beat Dhurandhar 2, Awarapan 2
Hanuman Ansh currently has a 2000% profit with its box office earnings. Industry insiders say this could go up to 5000% by the time the film ends its run. In comparison, Dhurandhar 2 had a 1000% profit due to its relatively bigger budget of around ₹125 crore. Similarly, Awarapan 2 has made a profit of around 450% over its ₹30-crore budget with its box-office collections alone.
All about Hanuman Ansh
{{/usCountry}}Hanuman Ansh currently has a 2000% profit with its box office earnings. Industry insiders say this could go up to 5000% by the time the film ends its run. In comparison, Dhurandhar 2 had a 1000% profit due to its relatively bigger budget of around ₹125 crore. Similarly, Awarapan 2 has made a profit of around 450% over its ₹30-crore budget with its box-office collections alone.
All about Hanuman Ansh
{{/usCountry}}The film traces the life of Lakshman Das and how he found spiritualism, transforming into Neem Karoli Baba. It follows the spiritual leader's journey from age 13 to the point where he came to be loved and revered. The film's writer-director is a doctor-turned-filmmaker. It is produced by Swambhu Media Network Pvt. Ltd., Ragini S., Namrata G. S., and Anupriya A. Nagar. Hanuman Ansh is currently running in theatres.
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