It has been a long time since we started hearing complaints that people are not coming to watch Malayalam movies when foreign language big budget movies are taking over theaters and raking in money. Aarat and Bhishma Parvam arrived at a time when theater owners were promoting foreign language films to recover from the big crisis caused by the Covid era. Later, films like Janagamana, Hridiya, Katuva and Pappan were enthusiastically received by the Malayali audience.
Prithviraj’s Tiger and Janaganamana top the list of hit films that have collected huge collections at the box office. The crowd to see new films is correcting the perception that star value is what brings Malayalee audiences to the theatres. Kunchacko Boban’s film ‘Nna Than Kes Kod’ and Tovino Thomas’ ‘Thallumala’ which released last week are running to full houses. Ratheesh Balakrishna Phudhuwal and his team have given a great feast by mixing a heart-felt story with entertainment in the film ‘Nna Than Kesukod’. ‘Nna Than Kes Kod’ is becoming one of Chakochan’s career hits with a collection of Rs 25 crores. Thallumala is a film made knowing the taste of the new era. The Joshi-Sureshgopi film Pappan proves that the old generation should be rejected. New movie trends indicate that even in this age of OTT, if the content is good, people will flock to the theater. Producers of three films that are superhits in theaters with collection specials on Manorama Online….
Santosh T. Kuruvila: (Producer – Nna Than Case): We are getting an unexpected response from the theatre. When you go to the theater, you see the audience coming with their families, regardless of age. Even for the show following 12 pm, women are coming to the theater to watch the movie. This is a very positive thing. Not only our film but also films like Pappan, Katuva and the recently released Thallumala brought the audience to the theatre. Even ‘Jaane Man’, which came before this, did poorly for the first three to four days, but later it was crowded.
If you want to watch a movie, you will definitely go to the theater. We have to give the audience what they deserve. Our movie is a movie that people laugh and enjoy watching. Everyone likes to laugh. I saw a story on Facebook the other day where a family went to see a movie with an 85-year-old father. Watching a movie in a theater in the midst of a crowd is a pleasant experience. If you make films with a good story and require a theatrical experience, the audience will come to the theatre. So far it has been released only in Canada and some parts of Europe outside of Kerala. The remaining locations will be released this week.
A business of 25 crores was done within a week. We have seen Thallumala which was released along with our film and Pappan which was released earlier. Both are box office hits. Dulquer’s film, Sureshetan’s film, Tovino’s film and our film are all running together as a house full and it is a joy. All these are movies in different genres. It is a good sign that all the pictures are successful. Industry is not just regarding one person. As the industry grows, so does everyone. It doesn’t matter if only one person wins, all the films should be successful and people should come to the theaters and watch the films.
Ashiq Usman: (Producer – Picture: Thallumala) The crisis created by Covid brought the Malayali audience to a different viewing experience. Audiences who are used to watching movies in OTT in the comfort of their homes enjoyed movies of various genres. Bringing them back to theaters is a big responsibility. As soon as we see the trailer of a movie, we decide to watch it in OTT. If the film doesn’t have the element to bring us to the theatres, then is there any point in blaming the audience? What remains to be done is to make films that are meant to be enjoyed in theatres.
I had seen the movie Nna Than Case Kod. It is a very enjoyable humor movie. So I feel that people are going to take up more humor films and mass films with a good story. We are happy that our film Thallumala is being received well in theatres. Thallumala was a worldwide release. The worldwide collection is around 31 crores. A collection like this in four days is a good sign. Malayali audience is not far away from theatre. The pleasure of sitting in a theater and watching a movie is different. What I want to say is that filmmakers should make films that are meant to be enjoyed in theaters. Recent releases suggest that if audiences are given exactly what they want, they will flock to the theatres.
Sujith J. Nair (Dream Big Films – Co-Produced by Pappan, Distributed): Pappan released the film at a time when it was considered inauspicious to release the film. During the month of July, starting with the month of Cancer, rainy season, there were many adverse conditions affecting the collection. Surprisingly, the first three days had a terrific collection. On the fourth day, the collection continued to be the same despite heavy rainfall across Kerala and adverse weather conditions. From July 29 until new films came out, Papaan was literally ruling the box office. Pappan was released in 255 theaters in Kerala. In the second week also, the film played in around 250 theatres. Good box office collection from Kerala itself.
It was released following a week outside Kerala. The response in Kerala was reflected at the box office in the Gulf as well. Pappan played in 600 screens all over the world. Pappan is the highest grosser of Suresh Gopi’s career. Pappan was a profitable film for Gokulam Movies, David Kachapalli and IFAR Media. The film became profitable in the first fifteen days itself. The notion that only foreign language films can succeed in Kerala is wrong here. ,
There are two types of movie enjoyment. One, go to the theater and see it. Another, enjoy in OTT. Now the audience has started wondering if there is a need to go and watch a film in theatres. Such films are successful in theatres. I think we will see other pictures sometime. The enjoyment level of the audience has changed a lot. Sound mixing, sound arrangement, sound design, visual effects and editing are all debated by the audience. The film should be carried forward in such a way that the attention of the audience is not lost even for a minute following the film starts. Keeping people engaged for these two hours is hard work.
I have been distributing films for sixteen years and I see films on the first day. We will know whether the film will run on the first day itself. I also saw the films Thallumala and Nna Than Kes Kod. These films are giving a very good boost in theatres. It is good to know that along with these, Pappan is also running in theaters for the third week. The film had a house full run in 38 theaters on Independence Day. When all the films are successful, if one does not get a ticket, people try to see another film which is fast filling. The success of every film will benefit the industry as the audience decides whether to watch one film or the other.
