Mollywood
Kalyani Priyadarshan's Superhero Blockbuster Lokah Chapter 1: Chandra Revives Mollywood's 300 Crore Dream
Kochi, September 6 - The Malayalam film industry, known for its storytelling brilliance but traditionally limited market reach, has often aspired to match the massive box office benchmarks set by Bollywood, Tollywood, and Kollywood. Over the last couple of years, the industry has tried to unlock its full potential by delivering multiple 200 crores grossers, but something is still left there to achieve. While Bollywood, Tollywood, and Kollywood are frequently breaching the milestone of 300 crores worldwide gross, Malayalam cinema is yet to get there, despite coming close to it on a few occasions. Mohanlal's Empuraan (267 crores) was the closest to achieving this landmark box office figure, but ultimately fell short due to mixed word of mouth despite record-shattering openings. There has been a question that which upcoming movie could potentially unlock the coveted box office milestone. While not yet achieved, with Kalyani Priyadarshan-fronted superhero film Lokah Chapter 1: Chandra, the industry seems to have found its strongest contender yet. The film has struck a chord with audiences thanks to its growing pan-India appeal, high production values, and Kalyani's career-defining performance. What sets Lokah apart is not just its scale but the overwhelmingly positive reception it has received from both critics and general moviegoers. Unlike Empuraan, which fizzled out after the initial robust collection, Lokah is showing strong legs at the box office, hinting at a healthy long run ahead. In just 10 days (including the second Saturday), Lokah Chapter 1 has already grossed nearly 170 crores worldwide, and is expected to be around 200 crores by the end of the second weekend. The film is currently facing capacity issues, with shows running houseful in multiple territories amid intense competition from other releases. While the capacity issue is stopping the film from performing to its full potential, it is expected to fuel stronger weekday holds as audiences continue to flock to theatres. The film's prospects look brighter outside the home state, Kerala, where it is performing excellently. The rest of the Indian market, especially Telugu states, Karnataka, and Tamil Nadu, are coming handy for the movie, while overseas is performing like a beast. This expanding reach is crucial for Lokah to stand a real chance of getting to the 300 crores club, as Mollywood has traditionally been reliant on its home state, Kerala, along with the Gulf. The fact that Lokah is performing strongly across languages and regions gives it a unique edge, positioning it as Mollywood’s best shot yet at rewriting box office history. While the journey to the 300 crore landmark is still a long one, the trajectory is promising. If Lokah sustains its momentum through word of mouth and secures additional screen space in the coming weeks, it could very well become the first Malayalam film to join the elite 300 crore club. The Malayalam industry has been on a rise in the post-pandemic era, and the trade believes that if not Lokah, there will come a movie very soon which will get to the 300 crores milestone. But for now, the industry hopes that India's first female superhero blockbuster turns that dream into a reality.
