Rs 137 crore and counting, 2018 is Kerala industry hit; in top 5 state grossers and set to break KGF-2’s record

Two of the top three highest grossing films in Kerala are not originally from Mollywood. Prabhas’ Baahubali and Yash’s KGF: Chapter 2 found a lot of love among audiences in Kerala with the Malayalam dubbed versions. While Mohanlal’s Pulimurugan enjoys the top position, KGF-2’s number 3 position is likely to be eclipsed soon.

Jude Anthany Joseph’s cinematic depiction of the 2018 Kerala floods, has amassed over Rs 137 crore at the global box office, of which Rs 65 crore and counting has come from home ground. The film is only Rs 3.50 crore behind KGF: Chapter 2, after only 17 days at the box office. Trade experts predict that 2018 will break KGF-2’s Kerala box office record in the next couple of days. The film has surpassed Pulimurugan’s worldwide collections making it the all-time industry hit, but is still Rs 13 crore behind its Kerala total. Interestingly, 2018’s Rs 137 crore includes Rs 64 crore from the overseas market, while the rest of India has contributed only Rs 8.4 crore so far, of which Rs 4 crore has come from Karnataka.

The film, which released on May 5 in Malayalam only, is set to be dubbed and released in Tamil, Telugu, Kannada and Hindi, shortly. The makers are yet to announce release dates for the dubbed versions, but reports suggest that they could be in theatres by May 26 or latest by June 2.

2018, which boasts an eclectic star cast, including Tovino Thomas, Asif Ali, Kunchacko Boban, Lal, Vineeth Sreenivasan, Aparna Balamurali, Kalaiyarasan, Tanvi Ram and Narain, among others, has music by 777 Charlie-fame Nobin Paul. The film’s digital rights have been picked up by SonyLiv and while it was earlier reported that it would be available to stream starting June 9, it is likely that the date could be pushed ahead, given its good showing at the box office and the fact that the dubbed versions are yet to be released.