Mohanlal’s Empuraan beats Salman Khan’s Sikandar in overseas bookings, sets new record for Indian film in the Middle East

In a recent interview ahead of his directorial L2: Empuraan’s release, Prithviraj Sukumaran had revealed to the media that his producer had informed him that the movie has already grossed Rs 60 Crore in advance bookings worldwide. While many took the figure with a pinch of salt, considering the hype the Mohanlal-starrer has going for it, it’s not entirely impossible.

Industry trackers have already predicted the movie to become the highest opening-day grosser in the Middle East, where the Malayali diaspora is dominant. Considering the buzz the film has, it has already beaten advance booking figures for Salman Khan’s much-anticipated Eid release Sikandar.

Empuraan beats Sikandar in Middle East, US, Australia

And it’s not just in the Middle East, according to reports. Empuraan has already outsold the Bollywood film in Australia, where the Salman Khan film has only managed 525 bookings till March 25 as compared to the 8505 by the Prithviraj directorial, according to Bollywood Box Office. In the US too, Empuraan, which had its trailer launched at the New York Times Square earlier this month, has managed to create history by selling over 10k tickets – the first time for a Malayalam film before its release.

Also read: 5 Malayalam action thrillers to watch on SonyLiv, Zee5 that will keep you on the edge of your seat 

While these records would make the producers happy, fans, however, are more interested in what’s happening closer to home. Empuraan is already poised to break Leo’s opening-day record of Rs 12 crore in Kerala, with shows beginning from 6am onwards and some theatres have back-to-back shows for almost 24 hours.

Representatives of FEUOK, the exhibitors and theatre owners body of Kerala, have already expressed excitement on how the movie could make up for the huge loss that the Malayalam film industry has been hit in the recent few months, with just two movies – Asif Ali’s Rekhachithram and Kunchacko Boban’s Officer On Duty – being superhits in a year that has already seen close to 50 releases.

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Empuraan hype: Is it real or manipulated?

Amid shows being houseful, there’s still a handful of people who have been tweeting on social media that the hype for Empuraan has been manufactured, with the producers blocking bulk tickets in various screens, especially outside Kerala.

The fans, however, were quick to defend, saying that they have been waiting for the movie since Lucifer’s release in 2019. The movie is touted to be among the most expensive Malayalam movies ever produced and boasts a huge star cast including Tovino Thomas, Manju Warrier, Jerome Flynn, Eriq Ebouaney, Alexx O’Neil and Suraj Venjaramoodu. The other films releasing along with Empuraan in other States include Vikram’s Veera Dheera Sooran and Nithiin’s Robinhood.