Unni Mukundan's Malikappuram recreates Kerala success in the UK, gets more screens in its second week

There seems to be no stopping Malayalam actor Unni Mukundan’s Malikappuram. The movie, which has already become the first superhit from the industry this year, grossing over Rs 40 crore from worldwide box office, is now also recreating its success in countries outside India – especially the UK.

Malikappuram, which hit screens in the United Kingdom on January 13, had bumped up the number of theatres from 10 to 34 in its second week. This also includes the new screens allotted for the movie in Ireland.

Also read: Unni Mukundan: I’m not a propagandist, Malikappuram worked as it was accepted by people of all religions | Exclusive 

The team will have more reasons to cheer as the film is also gearing up for the release of its much-awaited Tamil and Telugu versions, which will be dropping on January 20 and 21, respectively. Unni in a recent interview with us had said that the film’s journey was only starting and they are looking forward to greater response for its other-language versions, especially considering that the family audience and Ayyappa devotees have contributed in spreading the word about the movie as well as its massive footfalls.

After collecting close to Rs 5 crore from box office over the past weekend, the movie did phenomenal numbers in Kerala, raking in another Rs 1.2 crore on its third week since its release on December 30. The movie’s run in Kerala is expected to continue for a few more days, as Mammootty’s Nanpakal Nerathu Mayakkam, Manju Warrier’s Ayisha and Antony Varghese’s Poovan are gearing up for release from Thursday onwards.

Meanwhile, Malikappuram’s success has opened new doors for Unni as an actor. “The producers have been appreciative that I could turn my small films into massive successes and consequently, they are willing to back bigger films with me. That’s how it has been for any actor. It took me a while to make it happen,” said the actor, who is next gearing up to shoot for a fantasy-entertainer Gandharva Jr.