2025 disappointments: From Malayalam to Bollywood, Big films that failed fans

2025 has been a mixed bag for the film industry as there were several huge hyped movies that failed to impress the audiences, whereas there were also several low-hyped movies that turned out to be the winners. Here let's take a look at some of the Indian films in 2025 that failed to impress fans

'L2: Empuraan'

'L2: Empuraan' was one of the most-awaited Malayalam films of 2025. It was the sequel to 'Lucifer' and carried massive expectations. The film was directed by Prithviraj Sukumaran and written by Murali Gopy. Mohanlal led a huge cast that included Prithviraj Sukumaran, Manju Warrier, Tovino Thomas, and many others. Even though the film did well at the box office, many fans felt disappointed. The movie lacked the intensity of the first part and also the music composition was not upto the mark, or something that the audiences expected from a mass entertainer.

'Dominic and the Ladies’ Purse'

Expectations were very high for 'Dominic and the Ladies’ Purse'. It marked Gautham Vasudev Menon’s Malayalam debut as a director and starred Mammootty. The film was a mystery comedy thriller. Mammootty played Dominic who is a former cop turned detective. While the idea sounded interesting, but the movie failed to get much traction. ETimes review for the film read, "The story itself is intriguing, though, at a certain point in the second half, the audience may get a hunch of who the culprit is."

'Bazooka'

Bazooka became one of Mammootty’s biggest disappointments in recent times. The action thriller was written and directed by Deeno Dennis. Released on April 10, 2025, the film received negative reviews. Even Mammootty’s performance in the climax was trolled online. Poor writing and weak scenes made the film a box office bomb.

'Karam'

'Karam' marked Vineeth Sreenivasan’s return to direction after 'Thira'. Fans expected a strong thriller. However, the film failed to impress audiences. The story felt flat, and even the music did not stand out. This became Vineeth Sreenivasan’s first major box office failure as a director.

'Sikandar'

From Hindi cinema, 'Sikandar' starring Salman Khan was a big letdown. Despite entering the 100-crore club, the film failed to satisfy fans. Weak story and routine action scenes were major complaints.

'War 2'

'War 2' starring Hrithik Roshan and Jr NTR, was expected to be a massive blockbuster. However, the sequel failed to recover its huge budget. Many viewers felt the film lacked freshness and strong emotional moments. Also the audiences termed 'War 2' as the weakest one from the spy universe.

'Baaghi 4'

Although the audiences are tired from the 'Baaghi' series, the trailer for the 4rth part gave the notion that it might be different from others. But it's Tiger Shroff and his amazing script selection, 'Baaghi 4' turned out to be one of the worst films in 2025.


Tiger Shroff’s Baaghi 4 failed to make any impact at the box office.

'Deva'

Deva, starring Shahid Kapoor, failed to connect with viewers and ended as a flop. The expectations were high as it was the remake of the Malayalam movie 'Mumbai Police' which received much critical acclaim. Also the climax of the Hindi remake was different from the original one and this factor was also another disappointing factor of 'Deva'.

'Loveyapa'

Loveyapa is yet another example on why Bollywood needs to stop remaking good films from other industries and getting trolled. 'Loveyapa' had decent hype before release but failed to impress. Even with a magnificent idea from the original Tamil movie 'Love Today', the Hindi remake was a big let down considering the performances and execution.

'Vidaamuyarchi'

Ajith Kumar’s Vidaamuyarchi from Tamil cinema faced heavy criticism. The film was called confusing and difficult to follow. Poor clarity in storytelling made it a major flop. Anirudh's music was said to be the only saving aspect of the film, along with some good action sequences.

'Thug Life'

The reunion of Kamal Haasan and Mani Ratnam created huge expectations. Sadly Thug Life failed badly at the box office. Low collections shocked fans. 'Thug Life' plot was criticised as it was something which was a done and dusted formula. Silambarasan TR's performance was the only positive aspect of the film.

'Retro'

Suriya’s crime thriller Retro failed to make an impact. The film could not engage the audience and ended as a disappointment. Karthik Subbaraj's film could be relatable to One Piece anime fans, but with a star like Suriya, the fans won't be fully satisfied with the storytelling style.

'Game Changer'

Ram Charan and Shankar's 'Game Changer' turned into a disaster. Despite its massive budget the film failed to impress audiences. Even the introduction sequence to the storyline by Karthik Subbaraj received heavy trolls online.

'Hari Hara Veera Mallu'

Pawan Kalyan’s film underperformed at the box office. The period drama failed to recover its costs. Pawan Kalyan somehow covered up his image with the success of 'OG' which received decent reviews.

'Kannappa'

Kannappa had Vishnu Manchu in the lead role and expectations were high due to it's star power. The film disappointed fans with ETimes review saying, "Watch it if you enjoy sacred stories with strong visual storytelling and emotional payoff. Kannappa ends on a powerful note that resonates with devotees and admirers of culturally rooted cinema.". Reportedly, it grossed only Rs 46 crore worldwide and ended as a box office bomb. The movie had several cameos from Mohanlal, Prabhas to Akshay Kumar, but was that enough? NO!

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