Aavesham’s antics, Manjummel Boys’ magic help Malayalam movies clock highest ever box office collections

South superstar Prithviraj Sukumaran’s newly released Guruvayoorambala Nadayil is running houseful in theatres, thus adding another feather in the cap of Malayalam cinema, which is having a field day with record box office collections in 2024.

From February to May this year, Malayalam film industry has raked in Rs 600 crore at the box office, its highest ever, said film trade analyst Sreedhar Pillai.

“Premalu (a romantic comedy) released in February 24. Then came the biggest of all releases Manjummel Boys followed by Aadujeevitham—The Goat Life which released in March. These films combined have done Rs 500 crore. Now Guruvayoorambala Nadayil is also having a good run,” he said.

Girish Johar, a producer and film trade expert who booked his tickets to watch Guruvayoorambala Nadayil on the big screen, was surprised to enter a houseful auditorium in Mumbai. “There was hardly any promotion of Guruvayoorambala Nadayil in Mumbai yet the film was houseful while other auditoriums were empty. For the same set of audiences, other (language) content is not clicking but they are connecting with Malayalam content,” he said.

First time in the history of Indian cinema, Malayalam cinema emerged as the highest grossing language in a month. Fahadh Faasil-starrer Aavesham and comedy drama Varshangalkku Shesham were the two big drivers that led to Malayalam cinema clocking a 35 percent share in India’s total box office business of April, 2024 at Rs 457 crore.

“Aavesham emerged as the top grossing film of the month (April). This is the second time this year that a Malayalam film has emerged as the top grosser of the month, a feat that was not achieved even once since the start of our monthly box office reports in July 2022,” said media consulting firm Ormax Media, adding that the Malayalam film industry continued its strong run in April with its share increasing to 19 percent compared to 16 percent in March.

Aavesham is now the third Malayalam film this year to cross the coveted Rs 100 crore milestone at the domestic box office, after Manjummel Boys and Aadujeevitham – The Goat Life.

While Malayalam films have consistently performed well at the box office, 2024 stands out as an exceptional year with collections already surpassing those of 2023, said Sanjeev Kumar Bijli, Executive Director, PVR Inox Limited.

“Malayalam cinema in 2024 is reaching unheard numbers. In the last couple of years, it was clocking Rs 400-500 crore. But in 2024, the industry in the first half of the year has breached what they were doing annually earlier,” said Johar.

Malayalam movie magic

Ask Pillai what’s making audiences click with Malayalam films this year, he said, “There has been no pan India hit, Bollywood is doing badly and multiplex giant like PVR Inox need content and they are pushing Malayalam cinema. This is one major reason. But above all, the content has been first class. It is not star-driven like other (film) industries. Content is fresh and innovative.”

Malayalam movies are known for their diverse and experimental storylines and focus on performances and treatment of subjects. This makes them less repetitive and formula-driven, Bijli said.

“The stories may be basic in nature but the intricacies and nuances that they capture on the screen that’s what is connecting with the audiences. This is why people are loving films with small plots also. It is the most prolific cinema in India’s film industry and it was about time they got due their due credit especially with them churning out good content for a while,” Johar said.

He added that with streaming platforms breaking language barriers, Malayalam content is finding more resonance among audience. “People watched Drishyam on OTT (over the top platform) now they are watching content from the same industry in theatres. Also, the awareness as well as traction has been higher than before in Hindi belt. Among regional cinema, Malayalam films are at the top currently,” Johar noted.

Growing audience base

According to Bijli what has notably changed is the focus on delivering high-quality content and expanding the audience base beyond Kerala.

“Malayalam film market has pushed its boundaries beyond Kerala and found a wider range of audience. Tamil Nadu is the second largest market for these films, and there’s a noticeable rise in collections from the Hindi-speaking regions. Manjummel Boys has been a major hit, running for 7-8 weeks even in markets outside the Southern region. Aavesham, Premalu,and Aadujeevitham, also enjoyed extended runs and strong performances outside Kerala,” Bijli said.

Houseful shows for films like Manjummel Boys, Premalu, Brahamayugam, and Aadujeevitham highlight a growing acceptance and enthusiasm for Malayalam cinema outside Kerala, said Devang Sampat, Managing Director, Cinepolis India.

Additionally, the industry has started dubbing films in Hindi, which was not common earlier, Bijli said. “For example, Aadujeevitham-The Goat Life was dubbed in multiple languages, making it accessible to a broader audience in other parts of the country. These factors have significantly boosted the performance and reach of Malayalam movies.”

Along with India, overseas market is also booming for Malayalam cinema with Gulf and the US showing high traction, said Pillai. The industry is expected to touch Rs 1,000-crore business worldwide by end of May with 57 percent of collections contributed by the top three blockbusters —- Manjummel Boys, Aadujeevitham – The Goat Life, and Aavesham.

Pillai expects the growth momentum to continue for Malayalam cinema at the box office.

“Malayalam cinema is producing more films than ever, especially as compared to the last two years in the pre-Covid period. Several factors have contributed to this increase. Previously, Malayalam cinema had limited budgets versus other Indian film industries and a less widespread distribution. The industry often focused on drama and art-house genres, which, while critically acclaimed, did not always appeal to a broad audience. Now, a strategic shift has occurred in recent years with Malayalam filmmakers increasingly adopting more universally appealing narratives,” Sampat said.