Movies by Year 2018 to 2026: Biggest Indian Releases and When They Reached OTT
The biggest Indian movie of each year since 2018 includes 2.0 (2018), RRR (2022), Jawan (2023), Pushpa 2: The Rule (2024) and Dhurandhar (2025), by worldwide gross. Most big Indian films in 2023 and 2024 reached OTT exactly 8 weeks after their cinema release.
- Facts checked against official sources
- Updated October 2026
The timeline above marks each year's major releases covered on this page.
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Many people search for movies by year, often with the name of a piracy site, such as "Isaimini 2021" or "Filmywap 2025". This guide lists the biggest Indian films of each year from 2018 to 2026, shows how long they took to reach OTT, and explains how to find any film by its year on a legal app.
Biggest Indian Movies by Year
The table below lists the highest-grossing Indian film of each year where the worldwide ranking is clear, and notable releases for the years where it is not. Grosses come from the Wikipedia list of highest-grossing Indian films.
| Year | Film | Language | Note |
|---|---|---|---|
| 2018 | 2.0 | Tamil | Highest-grossing Indian film of 2018 |
| 2019 | Uri: The Surgical Strike, Kabir Singh | Hindi | Notable releases |
| 2020 | Tanhaji, Soorarai Pottru | Hindi, Tamil | Cinemas closed for most of the year |
| 2021 | Master, Sooryavanshi, Pushpa: The Rise | Tamil, Hindi, Telugu | Notable releases |
| 2022 | RRR | Telugu | ₹1,300 to ₹1,387 crore worldwide |
| 2023 | Jawan | Hindi | About ₹1,148 crore, ahead of Pathaan |
| 2024 | Pushpa 2: The Rule | Telugu | ₹1,642 to ₹1,800 crore, ahead of Kalki 2898 AD |
| 2025 | Dhurandhar | Hindi | ₹1,350 to ₹1,428 crore, ahead of Chhaava |
| 2026 | Dhurandhar: The Revenge | Hindi | Sequel released in 2026 |
Grosses are given as ranges because box office trackers publish different totals.
Movies of 2018 and 2019
2.0, the Tamil science-fiction film starring Rajinikanth, was the highest-grossing Indian film of 2018. In 2019, Uri: The Surgical Strike and Kabir Singh were among the most-watched Hindi films.
Movies of 2020 and 2021
2020 and 2021 had many direct-to-OTT premieres because cinemas across India closed during the COVID-19 lockdowns. Gulabo Sitabo premiered on Prime Video in June 2020, and Soorarai Pottru premiered on Prime Video in November 2020. Cinemas reopened in 2021 with films such as Master, Sooryavanshi and Pushpa: The Rise.
Movies of 2022 to 2026
Since 2022, the biggest Indian hit of each year has crossed ₹1,000 crore worldwide. RRR, Jawan, Pushpa 2: The Rule and Dhurandhar each led their year, and Dhurandhar: The Revenge followed in 2026.
How Long Movies Take to Reach OTT
Big Indian movies came to OTT 5 to 8 weeks after their cinema release from 2023 to 2025. The table below compares the cinema and OTT dates of 5 films, using the dates each platform announced.
| Film | Cinema release | OTT release | Platform | Gap |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Jawan | 7 September 2023 | 2 November 2023 | Netflix | 8 weeks |
| Leo | 19 October 2023 | 24 November 2023 | Netflix | 5 weeks |
| Animal | 1 December 2023 | 26 January 2024 | Netflix | 8 weeks |
| Kalki 2898 AD | 27 June 2024 | 22 August 2024 | Prime Video and Netflix | 8 weeks |
| Pushpa 2: The Rule | 5 December 2024 | 30 January 2025 | Netflix | 8 weeks |
The gap is set by the deal between the producer and the platform. It can be shorter for films that do less well in cinemas.
How to Find a Movie by Year on an OTT App
To find a movie by its year on an OTT app, follow the 3 steps below.
- Search the title with the year, for example "Pushpa 2024", to separate it from sequels and remakes.
- Check the year on the title page, printed under the film's name.
- Use a "where to watch" service such as JustWatch, which lets you filter by release year and shows every platform in India that carries the film.
Why "Isaimini 2021" and "Filmywap 2025" Searches Appear
Searches like "Isaimini 2021", "Filmywap 2025" and "Khatrimaza 2018" appear because piracy sites change their domain after court-ordered blocks, and people search for the address that worked in a particular year. Those old addresses are now blocked or run by copycat sites that spread malware. Every film in the tables above is available on a licensed platform.
Frequently Asked Questions About Movies by Year
What was the biggest Indian movie of 2024?
Pushpa 2: The Rule was the highest-grossing Indian film of 2024, ahead of Kalki 2898 AD.
What was the biggest Indian movie of 2023?
Jawan was the highest-grossing Indian film of 2023, ahead of Pathaan.
How long after cinema release do movies come to OTT?
Big Indian films usually reached OTT 5 to 8 weeks after their cinema release from 2023 to 2025. Jawan, Animal, Kalki 2898 AD and Pushpa 2 each took 8 weeks.
Why were so many movies released on OTT in 2020?
Cinemas across India closed during the COVID-19 lockdowns, so producers released films such as Gulabo Sitabo and Soorarai Pottru directly on Prime Video.
Final Thoughts
The biggest Indian movies by year from 2018 to 2026 range from 2.0 in 2018 to Dhurandhar in 2025. Most of the recent hits reached OTT about 8 weeks after their cinema release, so a new film is usually only 2 months away from a legal stream.
Search old piracy addresses by year and you will find blocked or fake sites. Search the film's title and year in an OTT app instead. For the full story of individual films, see our guides to Pushpa 2 and Kalki 2898 AD, and for South films, see the South Indian movies guide.
Published 22 October 2026. Last updated 22 October 2026.