PremiumKing of Kotha vs RDX vs Ramachandra Boss & Co: Who's the real Onam winner?
Who is the box office winner of this Onam season among King of Kotha, RDX and Ramachandra Boss & Co?
Last Updated: 02.07 PM, Aug 28, 2023
The cinemas across Kerala are having the best Onam holiday season ever in a long time, thanks to last week's three new releases, King of Kotha, RDX and Ramachandra Boss & Co. And yes, Superstar Rajinikanth's latest movie Jailer also continues its blockbuster run much to the joy of all stakeholders in the value chain.
It was a much-needed break for the cinemas in Kerala, which has been going through a rough patch since the Covid outbreak. The exhibitors and distributors had to heavily rely on blockbusters from other languages to draw audiences to the cinemas. In the meantime, the filmmakers in the Malayalam film industry were basking in the OTT boom that significantly expanded the audience size for Malayalam movies during the pandemic. While Malayalam content powered by the new weave of filmmakers was devoured by movie-buffs across the country via OTT platforms, the cinemas in Kerala were left in a serious lurch.
Who's the real Onam winner at the Kerala box office?
However, this Onam season, the interests of the Malayalam filmmakers and Kerala distributors and exhibitors have aligned. With multiple options to choose from, the theatres are teeming with a lot of action.
Between last Friday and Sunday (from August 25 to August 27), the Kerala box office earned a whopping Rs 16 crore at the box office. This spike in ticket sales comes on the heels of a particularly good last few weeks, courtesy of Jailer.
Rajinikanth-starrer took the box office by storm , becoming the highest-grossing Tamil movie in the history of Kerala box office. In the last three weeks, the movie has raked in more than Rs 50 crore in ticket sales. And it remains bullish at the box office, despite the release of three new Malayalam movies.
The curse of mixed reviews
Dulqer Salmaan's King of Kotha was released in cinemas amid a lot of hype. Upon its release, the movie garnered mixed reviews, affecting its growth at the box office. However, King of Kotha remains the biggest movie in terms of screen count across the world. While the movie didn't exactly take over the cinemas as expected, it's still putting up a good show on the theatrical front. It's impressive considering the mixed reviews it has received.
According to reports, King of Kotha has managed to collect over Rs 10 crore in its 4-day opening weekend in Kerala alone. The movie is also performing well in the overseas market.
Not the comeback we hoped for
In the meantime, Ramachandra Boss & Co has failed to meet the expectations of Nivin Pauly's fans. While the Onam holiday has always been lucky for Nivin , it's different this time. The movie has made a great impression on the movie patrons, but it's adding to Malayalam cinema's momentum at the box office. Within the first two days of its release, the movie has collected a little over Rs 1 crore.
And the Onam winner is...
RDX, starring young actors Shane Nigam, Neeraj Madhav and Antony Varghese, has struck a rich vein with the Malayali moviegoers. The movie exploded at the Kerala box office after its initial release, which was rather limited and lacked fanfare.
ALSO READ: RDX movie review: Shane Nigam, Antony Varghese's film rides high on pulsating action scenes
Helmed by Nahas Hidayath, RDX has become the top choice for moviegoers in Kerala, overtaking the earnings of King of Kotha. It has amassed more than Rs 7 crore in its first three days, emerging as the big Onam winner at the box office.
The trade is confident that RDX will solidify its earnings in the coming days.