Beyond the buzz on social media, actor Prithviraj Sukumaran’s third directorial venture, the Mohanlal-starrer L2: Empuraan, has cemented itself as the most anticipated Malayalam film at the moment by shattering advance booking records one after another. After setting a new benchmark on BookMyShow by selling over 6,45,000 tickets within the first 24 hours — the highest ever for an Indian film on the platform, far surpassing the previous record held by Prabhas’ Kalki 2898 AD (341.78K) — Empuraan has now secured the highest presales ever at the Kerala box office. As of 3 pm on Sunday, the Mohanlal-starrer had amassed a first-day advance booking gross of Rs 8.42 crore across India, according to industry tracker Sacnilk.
What makes Empuraan’s rise more remarkable is that just over a week ago, even its release seemed uncertain due to reports of an internal dispute between co-producers Aashirvad Cinemas and Lyca Productions. This led to a temporary lull, with no promotions or updates, despite the film being just a few days away from the release date. However, the scenario changed dramatically once Sree Gokulam Movies stepped in as a production partner. Since then, the film’s ascent has been nothing short of extraordinary and is all set for release on March 27.
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Interestingly, even leading industry analysts believe that the production controversy has only boosted the film’s momentum. “I think the movie will have an earth-shaking opening,” industry tracker Sreedhar Pillai told SCREEN. “The controversy has only helped it secure a stronger opening. There is also remarkable interest in Empuraan in the global market. Overseas, its opening is expected to be on par with other major pan-Indian films,” he shared. Pillai further noted that while the film’s initial surge looks promising, its long-term success will hinge on audience reactions from the first few shows. “If the film is at least 50 per cent good, it will be a hit. By the evening of March 27, we will have a clearer picture of just how big it will be,” he added.
Pillai also highlighted the competition Empuraan might face in the markets within the country outside Kerala from Vikram’s Veera Dheera Sooran, releasing the same day, and Salman Khan’s Sikandar, which arrives on March 30. However, he emphasised that the Mohanlal-starrer has a strong advantage, especially with leading distributors handling its release across key markets. “Its Hindi belt release, in particular, is in safe hands with AA Films, the same distributor behind the Pushpa movies. If the film manages to make an impact in the Hindi market, similar to other pan-India successes like Kalki 2898 AD and Kantara, then the sky’s the limit,” he remarked.
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Industry analyst Ramesh Bala also noted that Empuraan’s advance bookings have been exceptionally strong so far. However, he too emphasised that the film’s ultimate success will depend on its quality and audience reactions from the initial screenings. He also confirmed that the film’s presales outside Kerala, particularly in international markets, are progressing well. “The key markets for the film are Kerala and overseas, especially the Gulf countries and the US, where things are moving forward smoothly,” he stated.
AB George, another industry tracker, noted that while Empuraan’s budget exceeds what is typical for a Malayalam film, advance booking trends suggest that Mohanlal’s star power and influence among Malayalees are already playing a key role in helping the film recover its massive investment. “Previously, the record for the highest worldwide opening for a Malayalam film was held by Marakkar: Arabikadalinte Simham (2021) at Rs 20.4 crore. Even before advance bookings opened in Kerala, Empuraan had nearly matched this figure through presales in overseas markets alone. That’s the level of momentum it has built,” he told SCREEN.
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Since Empuraan is more content-driven than a typical pan-Indian mass entertainer, George believes it doesn’t need excessive promotion in markets where it is unlikely to make a strong impact. “Its primary audience is in Kerala, the Gulf, Europe, Australia, the US, Canada, and among Malayalam cinema enthusiasts worldwide. The current marketing strategies are well-aligned to reach them,” he added.
Penned by Murali Gopy, Empuraan is the second instalment in a planned trilogy that commenced with Lucifer. (Credit: Facebook/@AashirvadCinemasOfficial)
Lyca Productions issue
Addressing the reported dispute between Aashirvad Cinemas and Lyca Productions, Pillai dismissed any negative impact, asserting that the controversy only served as free publicity for Empuraan. Clarifying that it was purely an internal matter, Bala too confirmed that it had no real impact on the film’s performance, aside from slightly delaying promotional activities.
Discussing Lyca Productions’ current financial challenges, Bala explained, “Some of their recent films didn’t perform well, leading to financial difficulties. As a result, they weren’t able to honour their financial commitments, which in turn affected Empuraan’s pre-release promotions and other preparations. Lyca invested around Rs 75 crore in the film and had planned to recover this amount before release through satellite and OTT rights. However, since these sales haven’t been finalised yet, they haven’t recouped their investment and, consequently, haven’t been able to allocate more funds. Had Lyca been in a stronger financial position, things would have been much smoother.”
Over the past few years, however, Lyca has faced severe financial setbacks, with several of its big-budget ventures — such as Chandramukhi 2, Lal Salaam and Indian 2 — bombing at the box office, while films like Vettaiyan and Vidaamuyarchi underperforming despite high expectations.
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George acknowledged that while the conflict between Aashirvad Cinemas and Lyca Productions initially had a negative impact, it eventually worked in the film’s favour. “Odiyan (2018) was one of the most hyped Malayalam films ever and no movie has surpassed it in terms of ground-level excitement among the general public. Initially, even Empuraan didn’t generate that level of buzz. However, once the Lyca controversy became a talking point and updates on the film suddenly stopped, with rumours of a possible release delay circulating, the discussion around Empuraan became even more widespread. Then, like a mass entry, Sree Gokulam Movies stepped in, further fuelling the hype and turning what seemed like setbacks into advantages,” he explained.