Interestingly, the two films also received a good response from the non-Malayalam-speaking states.
Posters of the film 'Premalu' and 'Manjummel Boys'. (Supplied)
Two Malayalam films, Premalu and Manjummel Boys, have created history at the box office by giving a new lease of life to the industry and boosting the confidence of Malayalam filmmakers to explore new genres.
Helmed and acted by youngsters, the two movies were able to strike a chord with the audience.
While Premalu is a romantic comedy, Manjummel Boys is based on a real-life incident in 2006 in Guna Caves in Kodaikanal.
Interestingly, the two films also received a good response from the non-Malayalam-speaking states.
Premalu, set against the backdrop of Hyderabad city, has won the hearts of the Telugu audience and is minting money at the Telugu box office, too.
On the other hand, Manjummel Boys, which pays tribute to Kamal Haasan’s Tamil film Guna (1991), is enjoying a phenomenal run in Tamil Nadu.
Despite Dileep’s Thankamani releasing on 7 March, these two films are running to packed houses in Kerala.
Prithviraj Sukumaran’s Aadujeevitham is the only major release this month. It will hit the screens on 28 March, which means the two flicks can continue to rule the roost.
Manjummel Boys became the first Malayalam movie in 2024 to collect ₹100 crore gross worldwide in just 12 days. It collected ₹150 crore worldwide in 18 days.
Interestingly, it is still having a dream run in Tamil Nadu, thanks to the “Kanmani Anbodu” song reference and the Guna Caves.
It collected about ₹30 crore from Tamil Nadu alone, a record performance for a Malayalam movie in Tamil Nadu. It also saw a good response in Karnataka.
Manjummel Boys collected around ₹50 crore from Kerala alone.
According to the Sacnilk tracking website, it earned around ₹8.75 crore on its 18th day.
The weekend and Maha Shivaratri holiday helped it pull crowds to cinema halls.
#ManjummelBoys total WORLDWIDE GROSS COLLECTION crossed 150 Crores 🔥🔥🔥
Second Malayalam movie to cross 150 crores gross collection 🔥
FIRST 200 CRORES LOADING for Malayalam Cinema.
— AB George (@AbGeorge_) March 10, 2024
Premalu, released on 9 February, entered the ₹100-crore club on its 31st day. This is a major victory for the makers as the film was made on a budget of less than ₹20 crore.
It is the fifth Malayalam movie to enter the ₹100-crore club. The previous ones are Pulimurukan (2017), Lucifer (2019), 2018: Everyone is a Hero (2023), and Manjummel Boys (2024).
Starring Naslen and Mamitha Baiju in the lead, Premalu is a pure entertainer.
It collected₹51 crore net from India and around ₹2 crore on its 31st day.
Meanwhile, the Telugu dubbed version of Premalu was released on 8 March and received a tremendous response from Telangana and Andhra Pradesh.
According to trade experts, the Telugu version of the movie earned ₹2 crore.
The Tamil dubbed version will hit the marquee on Friday, 15 March.
After watching the Telugu version, ace director SS Rajamouli appreciated the crew. His son SS Karthikeya bought the Telugu rights of Premalu.
Tollywood director Anil Ravipudi also appreciated the film on Monday, 11 March.
Taking to X, he wrote: “Fun all the way with superb characters and dialogues. I loved the simplicity in writing and trendy execution of it.”
Watched #Premalu in Telugu last night, and it’s fantastic! Fun all the way with superb characters and dialogues. I loved the simplicity in writing and trendy execution of it.
Kudos to the entire team and @ssk1122 for the Telugu dubbing release😍👌#PremaluTelugu
— Anil Ravipudi (@AnilRavipudi) March 11, 2024
Meanwhile, the Telugu version collected $75,000 gross in the USA.
Directed by Girish AD, Premalu has songs composed by Vishnu Vijay.
Meanwhile, other February releases in Malayalam, Bramayugam starring Mammootty collected around ₹60 crore. It will be premiered on Sony Liv on 15 March.
Anweshippin Kandettum, released in February this year, witnessed a great run in theatres. It is now streaming on Netflix.
When contacted, a Kochi-based exhibitor told South First that February releases such as Premalu and Manjummel Boys are doing extremely well.
He also admitted that the theatre owners were finding it difficult to accommodate schedules for small films.
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