The year 2026 may not have been extraordinary for Indian cinema overall, but several films across languages have delivered impressive box office results.
Movies like Dhurandhar: The Revenge, Jana Nayagan and Awarapan 2 have emerged as major successes. But surprisingly, none of them is the most profitable Indian film of the year.
That honour currently belongs to a small devotional film with no major stars, a limited budget and hardly any initial promotion.
Hanuman Ansh, based on the life and spiritual journey of Neem Karoli Baba, has reportedly become the most profitable Indian film of 2026.
Written and directed by Vishal Chaturvedi, the film stars Chandan Anand and Shobhinav Satyaa in the lead roles.
Made on a modest budget of around Rs 2 crore, Hanuman Ansh was released in theatres on August 7 without much hype.
Its opening was extremely weak, and the film collected only around Rs 60 lakh during its first weekend. At one stage, it appeared to be heading towards failure.
However, strong word of mouth completely changed its box office journey.
By the second weekend, audience interest began to grow, forcing exhibitors to increase the number of shows. The film then witnessed an extraordinary jump in collections.
By its fourth weekend, Hanuman Ansh reportedly collected around Rs 28 crore, showing just how dramatically its fortunes had changed.
The film has now crossed Rs 42 crore net in India and is heading towards the Rs 50 crore mark.
With a production budget of just Rs 2 crore, the film has already earned more than 20 times its cost, giving it an estimated profit of around 2000 per cent from theatrical collections alone.
Industry observers believe the film could go much higher if its current momentum continues. Some even feel that a Rs 100 crore lifetime collection is possible.
If that happens, Hanuman Ansh could end up becoming one of the most profitable Indian films ever made.
In comparison, Dhurandhar 2 reportedly delivered around 1000 per cent profit despite having a much bigger budget of nearly Rs 125 crore, while Awarapan 2 is said to have generated around 450 per cent profit on its Rs 30 crore budget.
Hanuman Ansh traces the journey of Lakshman Das and his transformation into Neem Karoli Baba, following his spiritual life from the age of 13 until he became a widely revered figure.
The film’s writer-director Vishal Chaturvedi is a doctor-turned-filmmaker.
Produced by Swambhu Media Network Pvt. Ltd., Ragini S., Namrata G. S. and Anupriya A. Nagar, Hanuman Ansh is still running in theatres.
From a Rs 2 crore film that struggled to find audiences in its first week to becoming the most profitable Indian release of 2026, Hanuman Ansh has turned into one of the year’s biggest box office surprises.
