Hindi
IMDb names Ramayana Part 1 most anticipated Indian film of late 2026
List tracks 250 million monthly users; Hindi dominates with 12 of top 20 titles
MUMBAI: Lights, camera, anticipation. Before the box office speaks, millions of clicks have already picked their favourites. IMDb has unveiled its list of the Most Anticipated Indian Movies for the second half of 2026, with Ramayana Part 1 topping the rankings based on page views from more than 250 million monthly visitors to the platform worldwide.
The list, compiled using IMDb traffic between 1 January and 28 June 2026, highlights the films audiences are most eager to watch ahead of their planned releases between July and December 2026. While Hindi cinema dominates the rankings, the slate also reflects growing excitement across Tamil, Malayalam, Kannada and Telugu films.
Ramayana Part 1 claimed the top spot, followed by Alpha and Toxic, while King and Dhamaal 4 completed the top five. Drishyam 3, Vishwanath & Sons, Mirzapur: The Movie, Haiwaan, and Eetha rounded off the top 10.
The top 20 list features 12 Hindi films, four Tamil titles, two Malayalam films, one Telugu and one Kannada release, underscoring both the continued dominance of Hindi cinema and the growing diversity of India’s theatrical landscape.
Several stars feature multiple times on the list, signalling their strong presence in the year’s biggest releases. Yash appears in two of the top three films with Ramayana Part 1 and Toxic, while Anil Kapoor features in both Alpha and King. Sunny Deol appears in Ramayana Part 1 and Ikka, while Ajay Devgn leads both Dhamaal 4 and Drishyam 3.
The rankings also reflect changing viewing trends. Mirzapur: The Movie, ranked eighth, becomes the first Indian streaming series to receive a cinematic adaptation, while Ikka, at number 12, is the only direct-to-streaming release to feature in the list.
IMDb said the rankings are based solely on user interest measured through page views rather than editorial selection, offering an early glimpse into the films generating the strongest audience buzz ahead of release.
With mythology, action, sequels and franchise extensions dominating the slate, India’s second-half theatrical calendar is already shaping up to be one of its busiest. If online curiosity is any indication, audiences have already reserved the front row long before the opening weekend arrives.
