Highest-grossing Tamil films by year
Highest-grossing Tamil films from 2000 to 2019
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- DirectorK.S. RavikumarStarsKamal HaasanJayaramJyotikaA neurotic Sri Lankan patient crashes his psychotherapist's family vacation in Kodaikanal.Year - 2000
Second film for Kamal Hassan in 2000 after Hey Ram. Hey Ram failed miserably at the box-office even though it got universal critical acclaim. Kamal joined hands with KS Ravikumar again after Avvai Shanmughi and with AR Rahman for the first time.
It released on Diwali 2000 and became the highest-grossing Tamil Film of the year.
WW COLLECTION - 30 CR (APPROX) - DirectorA.R. MurugadossStarsAjith KumarSuresh GopiLailaDheena works for his brother Adhikesavan, a gangster, and is very close to him. However, things turn sour between them after a misunderstanding leads to the death of their sister.Year - 2001
It was the debut film of Director AR Murugadoss. Ajith was seen in a complete mass avatar for the first time. In this film, Ajith was fondly called as "THALA" which became his title. Also, this film created the iconic combo of Ajith - Yuvan. Yuvan's BGM was one of the biggest strength of the film.
It released on Pongal 2001 and became the highest-grossing Tamil Film of the year.
WW COLLECTION - 25 CR (APPROX) - DirectorSuresh KrishnaStarsRajinikanthGoundamaniManisha KoiralaBaba is an atheist who always questions the existence of a higher power. But when a turn of events bestows him with divine powers, he uses the opportunity to help other people.Year - 2002
This film's script was written by Rajinikanth and was directed by Suresh Krissna joining with Rajinikanth for the 4th time. It had sky-high expectations due to release of a Superstar film after 3 years.
It released on August 2002 and became the highest-grossing Tamil Film of the year. Even though it was the highest-grossing film, it was considered a flop due to high production values and distributor losses.
WW COLLECTION - 43 CR (APPROX) - DirectorHariStarsVikramTrisha KrishnanKota Srinivasa RaoA cop takes bribes from politicians and goons. He rethinks his life choices after he meets a girl.Year - 2003
It was a golden period for Vikram as he had back-to-back hits. Vikram worked with Director Hari for the first time. Harris Jayaraj's songs and BGM were one of the major highlights of the film.
It released in May 2003 and became one of the biggest blockbusters of the year and also the highest-grossing Tamil film of the year.
WW COLLECTION - 40 CR (APPROX) - DirectorDharaniStarsJoseph VijayTrisha KrishnanPrakash RajVelu, an aspiring kabaddi player, goes to Madurai to participate in a regional match, where he rescues Dhanalakshmi from Muthupandi, a powerful man keen on marrying the girl against her will.Year - 2004
This film took Vijay to the next level of stardom. After proving as an action hero in Thirumalai (2003), he joined with Director Dharani for the first time, again in an action role. It was a remake of the Telugu blockbuster Okkadu. Vidyasagar's songs were chartbusters.
It released in April 2004 and became the first Tamil film to collect 50 crores at the box-office and also became the highest-grossing Tamil Film of the year.
WW COLLECTION - 50 CR (APPROX) - DirectorP. VasuStarsRajinikanthPrabhuJyotikaCreepy happenings in an abandoned mansion are attributed to the ghost of an ancient courtesan, back for revenge.Year - 2005
After the failure of Baba (2002), Rajinikanth joined with Director P Vasu for the 4th time. It was the remake of Malayalam film Manichitrathazhu. Rajini and Vadivelu's scenes were highly enjoyed by the audience.
It was released on Tamil New Year 2005 and became the highest-grossing Tamil Film of the year and also surpassed Ghilli (2004). It also ran for 890 days in theatres.
WW COLLECTION - 70 CR (APPROX) - DirectorK.S. RavikumarStarsAjith KumarAsin ThottumkalKanihaShivshankar, a wheelchair-bound man, tries to make his son Vishnu aware of his responsibilities but to no avail. Things take a turn for the worse after Vishnu starts stealing and tries to rape a girl.Year - 2006
Ajith worked with Director KS Ravikumar for the 3rd time and played triple role for the first time in his career. It was released after 2 years of production. Ajith's performance was praised and it was also considered as a comeback for him after consecutive failures.
It released on Diwali 2006 and became the highest-grossing Tamil Film of the year.
WW COLLECTION - 65 CR (APPROX) - DirectorS. ShankarStarsRajinikanthShriya SaranSumanA software engineer comes to India in order to serve the nation and invest in its welfare. A few corrupt officials and politicians try to stop him while he tries to do good for the poor.Year - 2007
Rajini joined with Director Shankar for the first time. It was the most expensive Tamil Film at the time of release. AR Rahman's songs and BGM met with universal appreciation.
It released in June 2007 and became the first Tamil Film to collect 100 crores at the box-office and also the highest-grossing Tamil Film of the year.
WW COLLECTION - 148 CR (APPROX) - DirectorK.S. RavikumarStarsKamal HaasanAsin ThottumkalJaya PradaAfter realizing the danger of a bio-weapon, a scientist wants to protect it from being misused. The vial accidentally reaches India, and he must race against time to prevent a potential disaster.Year - 2008
Kamal Hassan became the first actor in the world to portray 10 different roles in a single film. He joined with KS Ravikumar for the 4th time. The film was in production for a long time due to the different prosthetic makeups.
It released in June 2008 and became the highest-grossing Tamil Film of the year.
WW COLLECTION - 120 CR (APPROX) - DirectorK.V. AnandStarsSuriyaTamannaah BhatiaPrabhuA young man's smuggling lifestyle takes a serious turn, when a fierce rival tries to eliminate him from the business.Year - 2009
First film of Suriya - KV Anand. KV Anand proved as a successful director with this film. Suriya's performance and the racy screenplay were the highlights of this film.
It released in April 2009 and became the highest-grossing Tamil Film of the year.
WW COLLECTION - 80 CR (APPROX) - DirectorS. ShankarStarsRajinikanthAishwarya Rai BachchanDanny DenzongpaA brilliant scientist creates a humanoid robot to protect mankind, but things go awry when human emotions are programmed and inner turmoil causes the robot to switch sides.Year -2010
It was Director Shankar's dream project. He worked with Rajinikanth for the second time. It was under production for about 3 years. It had huge expectations all over India.
It released in October 2010 and became the first Tamil Film to collect 200 crores and became the highest-grossing Tamil Film of the year. It was also the highest grossing Tamil Film of all-time until 2018.
WW COLLECTION - 290 CR (APPROX) - DirectorA.R. MurugadossStarsSuriyaShruti HaasanJohnny Tri NguyenA genetic engineering student tries to revive the skills of a past legend and use them to save India from a deadly virus attack orchestrated by China.Year - 2011
Suriya joined with Director AR Murugadoss the second time after Ghajini (2005). The film's shooting took place for a long time. It was released with huge hype.
It released for Diwali 2011 and became the highest-grossing Tamil Film of the year.
WW COLLECTION - 90 CR (APPROX) - DirectorA.R. MurugadossStarsJoseph VijayKajal AggarwalVidyut JammwalAn army captain is on a mission to track down and destroy a terrorist gang and deactivate the sleeper cells under its command.Year - 2012
It was the first film for the successful combo Vijay - AR Murugadoss. Vijay was seen in his most stylish look at that time. Harris Jayaraj's BGM was considered as one of the pillars of the film.
It released for Diwali 2012 and became the highest-grossing Tamil Film of the year.
WW COLLECTION - 130 CR (APPROX) - DirectorKamal HaasanStarsPooja KumarMiles AndersonKamal HaasanWhen a classical dancer's suspecting wife sets an investigator behind him, a series of violent events are triggered, revealing his real identity and connection to a darker world.Year - 2013
This film was released after facing several hurdles and problems created for to its theme. It was Kamal Hassan's fourth directorial. It was released a week later in Tamil Nadu due to some protests.
It released in January 2013 worldwide except Tamil Nadu and became the highest-grossing Tamil Film of the year and also the second Tamil Film to collect 200 crores.
WW COLLECTION - 220 CR (APPROX) - DirectorK.S. RavikumarStarsRajinikanthAnushka ShettySonakshi SinhaA small-time thief reforms after learning about the role played by his grandfather in building a dam.Year - 2014
It was the 3rd film for Rajinikanth - KS Ravikumar together. It was released after the failure of Kochadaiiyaan (2014) and the fans had huge expectations as Rajinikanth was doing a normal film after 4 years (Kochadaiiyaan, being a computer animated film)
It released for Rajinikanth's birthday in 2014 and became the highest-grossing Tamil Film of the year. Even though it was the highest-grosser, it was considered an average success as it faced huge losses for the distributors.
WW COLLECTION - 154 CR (APPROX) - DirectorS. ShankarStarsVikramAmy JacksonSuresh GopiA deformed hunchback kidnaps a bride and holds her hostage while his connection to her and his targets is revealed in a series of flashbacks that unfold as he starts seeking revenge.Year - 2015
This had the huge hype for a Tamil Film all over India at that time. Vikram and Director Shankar worked for the second time after Anniyan (2005). It was Vikram's 50th film. Vikram had undergone various weight gain and loss for his role. Vikram was considered as the biggest strength of the film.
It released for Pongal 2015 and became the highest-grossing Tamil Film of the year.
WW COLLECTION - 230 CR (APPROX) - DirectorPa. RanjithStarsRajinikanthWinston ChaoRadhika ApteA reformed gangster is released from prison and attempts to protect his family from his enemies.Year - 2016
Rajinikanth was in need of scoring a hit as his previous two films didn't meet the expectations. Kabali's teaser created high expectations for the film. It was the most hyped Tamil Film of all-time.
It released in July 2016 and became the highest-grossing Tamil Film of the year.
WW COLLECTION - 286 CR (APPROX) - DirectorAtleeStarsJoseph VijayNithya MenenS.J. SuryahA police officer arrests a doctor for crimes targeting medical professionals but later finds the real culprit in a tale of revenge, corruption and magic.Year - 2017
Atlee directed Vijay for second time after Theri (2016). It met with various controversies after the release due to some dialogues in the film. AR Rahman's songs and BGM were met with appreciation and Vijay and Nithya Menen's acting was praised.
It released for Diwali 2017 and became the highest-grossing Tamil Film of the year and the first film of Vijay to collect 200 crores.
WW COLLECTION - 260 CR (APPROX) - DirectorS. ShankarStarsRajinikanthAkshay KumarAmy JacksonAfter mobiles start mysteriously flying out of the hands of people in Chennai, Dr Vaseegaran summons his trusted robot Chitti to ward off the bird-shaped supernatural powers of Pakshirajan.Year- 2018
It was the sequel of Enthiran (2010). This film's shooting was completed in mid-2017 but was postponed several times due to delay in the graphic aspects of the film. It was the most expensive Indian film ever with a budget of around 550 crores.
It released in November 2018 and became the highest-grossing Tamil Film of the year and also set various box-office records for a Tamil Film.
WW COLLECTION - 800 CR (APPROX) - DirectorAtleeStarsJoseph VijayNayantharaJackie ShroffMichael gives up his dream of becoming a footballer after his father's murder. However, a friend convinces him to coach a women's football team and turn his life around.Year - 2019
Vijay joined with Atlee for the third time. This film was the most expensive film in Vijay's career. It had huge expectations due to various factors of the film. Vijay's performance and AR Rahman's BGM was the biggest pillars other film.
It released for Diwali 2019 and became the highest-grossing Tamil Film of the year and the first 300 crore film for Vijay. It was the first time between 2000 - 2019 that a Rajinikanth film was not the highest-grosser with his film being released that year.
WW COLLECTION - 305 CR (APPROX) - DirectorA.R. MurugadossStarsRajinikanthNayantharaNivetha ThomasA police officer is on a chase to hunt down a dreaded gangster to fulfill his own secret agenda.WW COLLECTION - 220 CR (As of March 2020, it may change at the end of the year)