Malikappuram, Unni Mukundan’s latest film, is already on its way to becoming a true blockbuster. According to a team member, the film has collected Rs 40 crore in worldwide gross from 17 days in Kerala theatres, with the film expected to hold strong until the end of this week. The film was reportedly made on a Rs 3.5 crore budget.
The film, directed by Vishnu Sasi Shankar, has already become Unni’s biggest hit. Due to high demand, the film replaced two big Tamil juggernauts – Ajith’s Thunivu and Vijay’s Varisu – in several theatres across Kerala over the Pongal and Sankranthi holidays.
During the weekend, the film reportedly collected Rs 3 crore from Kerala theatres and another Rs 2 crore from the Middle East and the rest of India. This is the highest weekend gross for the film, which is now in its third weekend. More Malayalam releases, including Mammootty’s Nanpakal Nerathu Mayakkam, Manju Warrier’s Ayisha, and Antony Varghese’s Poovan, are set to hit theatres on January 19 and 20.
The previous Sunday also saw the highest collection for the film since its December 30 release, with several extra shows added in existing theatres. In an interview, Unni said, “I think Malikappuram’s journey has only begun. It will after its other-language releases happening post January 20. It will be releasing in Tamil, Telugu, Hindi and Kannada. Maybe after that we can take stock of how well the movie has done in the box office. I believe it has done huge numbers already.”
The Telugu version of the film, which will be distributed by Allu Arjun’s Geetha Arts, will be released in theatres in Andhra Pradesh and Telangana on January 21. Apart from Devanandha and Sripad, other key actors in Malikappuram include Saiju Kurup, Abhilash Pillai, Ramesh Pisharody, Renji Panicker, and Manoj K Jayan.
