Malikappuram completes 3 weeks in the UK, Ireland, Unni Mukundan calls it an ‘honour for Malayalam film industry’

Actor Unni Mukundan’s Malikappuram is on course to rewrite several records in Malayalam. The film, which has already crossed Dulquer Salmaan’s Kurup Kerala box office records and eyeing Premam and Drishyam’s collections next, has also reportedly become the longest-running Malayalam movie in the UK and Ireland post-pandemic.

While the number of screens have dwindled, the film, which released in Europe in the second week of January, has now completed three weeks in the UK and Ireland. Unni took to his social media page to share the news, saying that the film has been screening for “one month now in cinemas across UK and Europe”. “It’s a complete honour received for the whole Malayalam film industry (sic),” he wrote.

The movie had about 65 shows in Kochi alone on its 34th day since its release. It’s also among the few films that have managed to get a theatrical run for over a month, since the pandemic. Malikappuram, which was made on a budget of Rs 3.5 crore, has already grossed more than 40 crore from Kerala theatres. The film’s Tamil and Telugu versions also hit theatres on January 26.

In an earlier interview with us, Unni said that he was confident about the success of Malikappuram because it would appeal to Ayyappa devotees and their families, and also that it was a well-made movie. “Before Malikappuram released, I said that if we could do this at 50% occupancy, we would have even bigger numbers at 100%. I was laughed off. But today even with bigger releases out in Kerala, my film is holding its ground,” said Unni.

The movie’s success now also reflected in producers willing to back bigger projects with the actor in the lead. Unni said that he is currently in talks for various projects that will keep bringing the family audience to theatres like Malikappuram.