From Chiranjeevi to Prabhas, South cinema’s first quarter shows shift from scale to storytelling

The first quarter of 2026 has highlighted contrasting trends across South Indian cinema. While Telugu films led the box office with strong performances from Chiranjeevi and Prabhas, Tamil cinema saw a relatively quieter phase with mid-range releases. Malayalam films continued to focus on content-driven storytelling, and Kannada cinema faced challenges due to limited screen space amid major releases.