2018 OTT release: All you need to know about Malayalam cinema's biggest hit

The early OTT release of 2018, starring Malayalam star Tovino Thomas, has garnered mixed reactions.

Kunchacko Boban, Tovino Thomas and Asif Ali in a poster of 2018

The much-awaited Malayalam movie 2018 made its debut on SonyLIV on Tuesday, a few hours earlier than its scheduled release on June 7. The movie's OTT release has garnered mixed reactions.

The theatre owners in Kerala were up in arms against the film's producers for agreeing to make the movie available for streaming so soon, despite its phenomenal run at the box office. 2018 opened in cinemas last month on a limited number of screens across the country. The movie also lacked a strong promotional strategy. The filmmakers solely relied on good word of mouth for it to click at the box office.

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Soon after the release, 2018 started gaining a lot of momentum with moviegoers. Thanks to glowing reviews and terrific word of mouth, the film took off at the box office. In a short span, it smashed all the box office records created by the previous blockbusters in Malayalam cinema . The movie grossed over Rs 87 crore in Kerala alone, taking its worldwide gross collection to more than Rs 170 crore. It became the biggest earner in the history of Malayalam cinema. And the trade rued that the early digital release of the movie will truncate the film's box office performance. Many believe that it could have become the first Malayalam film to gross Rs 200 crore if the filmmakers had delayed its OTT release.

However, the producers were very happy with the movie's success, which has been nothing sort of phenomenal. Considering the movie's low-key opening, 2018 has done some unprecedented business across the country.

Inspired by real-life events, the film revolves around resilience, survival, and the human spirit in the face of adversity. It realistically captures the harrowing experience of the survivors of the worst natural calamity to befall Kerala in a century.

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Directed by Jude Anthany Joseph, the movie features a talented ensemble cast, including Tovino Thomas, Kunchacko Boban, Asif Ali, Aparna Balamurali, Vineeth Sreenivasan, Kalaiyarasan, Narain, Lal, Indrans, and Aju Varghese.

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