India has emerged as the second-largest market for IMDb, only behind the United States, driven by the increasing popularity of multilingual storytelling. This surge in Indian viewership on the Internet Movie Database highlights the growing interest in Indian cinema, not just within the country but also globally.
Over the past five years, IMDb's Indian audience has doubled, with the platform now listing over 414,000 titles across more than 15 languages. This extensive catalog and diverse linguistic offering cater to India's vast and varied cultural landscape, where multiple languages thrive, and regional cinema holds significant appeal.
IMDb's increased focus on India reflects the escalating interest in Indian films. The platform's founder and CEO, Col Needham, noted the remarkable growth and accelerating interest in Indian films from audiences both in India and around the world. This global interest is evident in the increasing representation of regional cinema in IMDb's top-rated Indian films lists.
The rise of regional cinema is a key factor in IMDb's growth in India. Industries such as Telugu, Kannada, Malayalam, and Tamil have developed distinct narrative identities, attracting audiences with their unique storytelling styles. This has led viewers to choose films based on their preferred narrative approach, rather than being deterred by language barriers. Films rooted in local culture and featuring strong visual storytelling and emotional depth have resonated particularly well with audiences across different regions.
Yaminie Patodia, Head of IMDb India, emphasized that the Indian film industry has always been cyclical, and this is a good time to look forward to see what that evolution means for stories and storytellers in the years ahead. IMDb data offers a unique global perspective on audience engagement, regardless of platform, geography, or release window. This surge marks a coming-of-age for Indian cinema, embracing a richer tapestry of voices from across industries, driven by collaborations and diverse narrative styles.
Furthermore, recent successes of regional films, such as the Malayalam film "Lokah Chapter 1: Chandra," which grossed over ₹300 crore worldwide, demonstrate the increasing appeal and market reach of regional cinema. This film, along with others from the Gujarati, Marathi, and Tamil industries, has broken records and outperformed Hindi releases, indicating that regional cinema is no longer a niche market but a significant force in the Indian film industry.
