Christmas 2026 is shaping up to be one of the most exciting box office windows in recent memory, with two of Indian cinema’s biggest superstars locking horns on the same day. Mohanlal’s Malayalam film Athimanoharam and Shah Rukh Khan’s Hindi action-thriller King are both scheduled to release in theatres on December 24, 2026, setting up a massive holiday showdown that will divide screens, audiences, and box office attention across the country and beyond.
Athimanoharam is a Malayalam comedy-drama and investigation film directed by Tharun Moorthy, starring Mohanlal as Sub-Inspector T.S. Lovelajan alongside Meera Jasmine. Produced by Ashiq Usman Productions, the film reunites Mohanlal with Tharun Moorthy and the team behind the blockbuster Thudarum, and its recently released first single “Sundara Ravanan” has already generated strong festive buzz. King, on the other hand, is a high-octane action thriller directed by Siddharth Anand, featuring Shah Rukh Khan alongside Suhana Khan in her big-screen debut, plus Deepika Padukone, Abhishek Bachchan, Rani Mukerji, and Anil Kapoor. Produced by Red Chillies Entertainment and Marflix Pictures, the film will release in six languages—Hindi, Tamil, Telugu, Kannada, Malayalam, and English—positioning it as a true pan-Indian spectacle.
The market dynamics clearly favour each film in different territories. Athimanoharam is expected to dominate the majority of screens in Kerala, where the combination of Mohanlal playing a sub-inspector, his reunion with Meera Jasmine, and Tharun Moorthy’s critically acclaimed track record make it the primary choice for local family audiences during the Christmas vacation. King, meanwhile, will take the lion’s share of screens across the rest of India and international markets, with Siddharth Anand’s action pedigree and an ensemble cast built for mega-blockbuster status. The real friction point will be in metropolitan multiplexes outside Kerala—Bengaluru, Chennai, Mumbai—and international hubs like the UAE, where both Malayalam and Hindi moviegoers turn out in large numbers.
Ultimately, this clash benefits theatres far more than it hurts either film. The holiday period provides enough oxygen for both a rooted, content-driven regional film and a massive Bollywood action spectacle to thrive simultaneously, much as previous Christmas windows have accommodated multiple big releases. For audiences, the choice is less about picking a winner and more about enjoying two very different cinematic experiences—one intimate and local, the other grand and global—within the same festive week. Whether Mohanlal’s Lovelajan or Shah Rukh’s return to the action genre emerges with the bigger opening day, the real winner this Christmas will be the Indian box office itself.
