Manjummel Boys, the survival thriller based on a real life story, is continuing its sensational run and has now become the first Malayalam film to collect ₹200 crore at the box office across the world, according to the Film Exhibitors’ United Organisation of Kerala (FEUOK).
A good part of the film’s success can be attributed to the unprecedented run that it is having in Tamil Nadu, from where it has netted over ₹50 crore.
The film, directed by Chidambaram, broke the record of the highest grossing film in Malayalam currently held by Jude Anthany Joseph’s flood saga 2018, which collected over ₹150 crore.
Mohanlal’s 2016 film Pulimurugan became the first Malayalam film to enter the ₹100-crore club. Ironically, the Malayalam films which got much pre-release hype as ‘pan-Indian’ did not feature among the top grossers.
According to K. Vijayakumar, president of FEUOK, Manjummel Boys has collected over ₹70 crore from Kerala alone, but was able to break most existing collection records with its performance at the box office worldwide.
“Although films such as Manjummel Boys or Premalu had elements appealing to people from the other States, there is no specific formula for the unprecedented success that these films have had. But, if we can make films with subjects that will strike a chord outside Kerala too, maybe we can create an impact in these markets,” says Mr. Vijayakumar.
One of the factors that led to the success of Manjummel Boys in Tamil Nadu was its ingenious way of paying tribute to Kamal Haasan’s Guna, especially the placement of Ilayaraja’s classic song Kanmani Anbodu Kathalan. But the universal appeal of the story of friendship at the film’s core also struck a chord with a wider audience. The timing of the film’s release also proved to be lucky for it, as it came at a lean period without any big releases of the major stars in Tamil.
The year has started well for the Malayalam film industry with Gireesh A.D.’s Premalu too crossing ₹109 crore at the box office, out of which ₹60 crore is from Kerala. The film’s Telegu dubbing also is running to house full shows. Mammootty-starrer Bramayugam also had a strong run with a total gross of over ₹40 crore.
