Malikappuram replaces Thunivu, Varisu in theatres, Unni Mukundan’s film collects 10 times its budget over the weekend

Unni Mukundan’s latest movie Malikappuram is already on its way to become a bonafide blockbuster. According to a source from the team, the movie has collected Rs 40 crore worldwide gross from 17 days of its run in Kerala theatres, with the film still expected to hold strong till the end of this week. The movie was reportedly made on a budget of Rs 3.5 crore.

Directed by Vishnu Sasi Shankar, the movie has already emerged as the biggest hit in Unni’s career. The festive weekend of Pongal and Sankranthi saw the film replace two big Tamil juggernauts – Ajith’s Thunivu and Vijay’s Varisu – in several theatres across Kerala due to its demand, especially from the family audience.

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The film apparently collected Rs 3 crore from Kerala theatres during the weekend and a further Rs 2 crore from the Middle East and rest of India. This is the highest weekend collection for the movie, which is already into its third weekend. The movie might have a curtailed run next weekend with more Malayalam releases – Mammootty’s Nanpakal Nerathu Mayakkam, Manju Warrier’s Ayisha and Antony Varghese’s Poovan set to hit theatres on January 19 and 20.

The past Sunday also recorded the highest collection for the film since its release on December 30, with several extra shows being added in existing theatres. In an exclusive interview with OTTplay, Unni said, “I think Malikappuram’s journey has only begun. It will after its other-language releases happening post January 20. It will be releasing in Tamil, Telugu, Hindi and Kannada. Maybe after that we can take stock of how well the movie has done in the box office. I believe it has done huge numbers already.”

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The movie’s Telugu version, which will be distributed by Allu Arjun’s Geetha Arts, is set to release in theatres in Andhra Pradesh and Telangana from January 21. Malikappuram also has Saiju Kurup, Abhilash Pillai, Ramesh Pisharody, Renji Panicker and Manoj K Jayan in pivotal roles, apart from its child artistes Devanandha and Sripad.