Tamil films have had a good market in Kerala for a long time as Vijay, Suriya, Ajith, Karthi, and Rajinikanth enjoy a huge fan base in the state.
Non Malayalam films in Kerala. (X)
Theatres in Kerala have had a good time, particularly in the second half of this year. The cinema halls witnessed a surge in footfall, thanks to the good-content films released in recent times.
Interestingly, non-Malayalam films fared well at the Kerala box office compared to Malayalam movies.
For instance, Vijay’s Leo (2023) has become the fourth non-Malayalam movie to collect ₹50 crore in the state and the fastest movie to enter the elite club.
Earlier, Baahubali 2 (2017), KGF 2 (2022), and Jailer (2023) collected ₹50 crore in Kerala.
According to Sree Gokulam Films — the distributor of Leo in Kerala, the Vijay-starrer beat the record of KGF 2 on its first day by collecting ₹12 crore.
#Leo in 50 CRORE CLUB — 7th movie to do so in KBO.
1. Pulimurugan (2016)
2. Baahubali 2 (2017)
3. Lucifer (2019)
4. KGF 2 (2022)
5. 2018 Movie (2023)
6. Jailer (2023)
7. RDX (2023)
8. #Leo (2023) pic.twitter.com/Ox0nXAkjSo— AB George (@AbGeorge_) October 28, 2023
Vijay’s Varisu (2023) and Ajith’s Thunivu (2023) were the major non-Malayalam films released in January this year. Though the actors have a huge fan following in Kerala, the films didn’t do big business in the state.
According to trade experts, Varisu grossed around ₹13 crore, and Thunivu grossed around ₹6 crore.
Then came Ponniyin Selvan 2 (2023) in April. The movie only collected ₹22 crore — much less than its first part. Ponniyin Selvan 1 (2022) & Ponniyin Selvan 2 were distributed in Kerala by Sree Gokulam Films and Dream Big Pictures.
The company later bought the Kerala distribution rights of Rajinikanth’s Jailer, Shah Rukh Khan’s Jawan (2023) and Vijay’s Leo.
When the audio launch of Leo was cancelled in Tamil Nadu, there was a great hue and cry among Vijay fans in Kerala who asked Gokulam Gopalan — the owner of Sree Gokulam Films — to conduct the audio launch in the state.
Leo had 4 am shows in Kerala on its first day, and the early morning shows were barred in Tamil Nadu. These early morning shows by Sree Gokulam Films helped the Vijay-starrer rake in the moolah at the box office.
As a result, Leo saw immense pre-sales three days before its release.
In non-TN Southern States, 2023 Tamil Biggies #Thunivu got its biggest gross from Karnataka..#Jailer got its biggest gross from Telugu states..#LEO is getting its biggest gross from Kerala..
— Ramesh Bala (@rameshlaus) October 28, 2023
‘Ponniyin Selvan’ films were received well in Kerala. (Supplied)
Meanwhile, Shah Rukh Khan’s Jawan witnessed a good opening day in Kerala. The movie collected ₹3.45 crore on its first day. Jawan now holds the record of becoming the biggest Bollywood grosser in Kerala by collecting ₹13.4 crore.
Pathaan (2023), Shah Rukh Khan’s previous movie this year, grossed ₹13.1 crore.
Before Jawan, Rajinikanth’s Jailer ruled the Kerala box office by earning ₹5.85 crore on its first day. The movie completed 25 days in the state and grossed ₹57.10 crore.
The film also saw a profit of about ₹15 crore with a share of approximately ₹21 crore and footfall of around 40 lakh.
Among non-Malayalam films, Tamil movies particularly have had a good market in Kerala for a long time. Vijay, Suriya, Ajith, Karthi and Rajinikanth have a fan following in the state.
Mark Antony (2023), Maaveeran (2023), and Pathu Thala (2023) are some of the Tamil films that did well in Kerala recently.
However, Naani’s Telugu dubbed movie Dasara (2023) and Upendra’s Kannada movie Kabza (2023) failed to draw crowds to the theatres.
Meanwhile, a few more non-Malayalam films are gearing up for a grand release in the state — Salman Khan’s Tiger 3, Karthik Subbaraj’s Jigarthanda Double X, Prasanth Neel’s Salaar, and Shahrukh Khan’s Dunki.
‘Kannur Squad’ has collected ₹80 crore till now. (Supplied)
Though there were not good promotions, Mammootty’s Kannur Squad — released on 28 September — opened to good reviews. The Malayalam movie managed to enter the ₹80-crore club after one month of its release.
Similarly, Romancham (2023), 2018: Everyone is a Hero (2023), and RDX (2023) entered the ₹100-crore club, though the makers didn’t promote the ventures.
The release date of Romancham was changed twice.
Meanwhile, Pranaya Vilasam (2023), Madanolsavam (2023), Pachuvum Athbutha Vilakkum (2023), 18 Plus (2023), Madhura Manohara Moham (2023), Nadhikalil Sundari Yamuna (2023) and Neymar (2023) managed to fare decently well at the box office.
Most of these Malayalam movies were made with a low budget and word of mouth helped them attract visitors to theatres. However, these films witnessed lesser footfalls in cinema halls when compared to the non-Malayalam films.
Nevertheless, the remastered version of Mohanlal’s Spadikam (1995), re-released on 9 February, did a decent job at the box office.
On the other hand, big Malayalam movies released with much hype didn’t fare well at the box office.
A poster of the film ‘King of Kotha’. (X)
The makers of King of Kotha (2023), the most-hyped movie in Malayalam released for Onam, alleged that their film received targeted attacks on the first day itself.
As regards the theatrical watch and emergence of OTT, Malayalam director Ahammed Kabeer told South First, “Audiences are visiting cinema halls only if they believe that a movie is worth watching on big screens.”
He added, “I don’t think films can’t be made as they were made earlier since theatres are of late witnessing fewer footfalls. At a time when people are not visiting theatres, filmmakers should seriously think and make movies that demand a theatrical experience.”
A debutant director, on the condition of anonymity, told South First that film promotions help make an impression on audiences and draw them to theatres. “But some producers, after striking a deal with OTT platforms, don’t spend money on promotions which, in turn, affects the theatre business.”
As regards promotions, an industry expert revealed that 70-80 percent of Malayalam film promotions are done in the conventional way of pasting posters and this needs to be changed.
May 13, 2024
May 13, 2024
May 12, 2024
May 12, 2024
May 11, 2024
May 11, 2024
