'L2: Empuraan' fever: Million tickets sold, bumper advance figures
What's the story
The much-awaited Malayalam movie, L2: Empuraan, helmed by Prithviraj Sukumaran and featuring Mohanlal, will be released in theaters on Thursday.
The film is a sequel to the planned trilogy's first installment, Sukumaran's directorial debut Lucifer (2019).
The first movie was a blockbuster, making Empuraan's release a highly anticipated affair. It will premiere worldwide and is likely to shatter box office records.
Pre-sale success
'Empuraan' first Malayalam film to sell 1M+ tickets in advance
For the record, Empuraan has already made history as the first-ever Malayalam film to sell over 1 million tickets in advance on BookMyShow.
Industry trackers predict it will sail past the ₹40cr mark on opening day, creating a new record for worldwide openings for a Malayalam film.
This would more than double what Priyadarshan's historical drama Marakkar: Arabikadalinte Simham (2021), also starring Mohanlal, had set.
Box office battle
'Empuraan' to face competition in Kerala
In Kerala, however, Empuraan will be pitted against director Lokesh Kanagaraj's Leo for the biggest opening-day collection.
Leo, which starred Vijay, had earned ₹12cr on its first day.
An industry analyst estimated that Empuraan would collect somewhere between ₹8cr-₹10cr on its first day in the state.
Whether it can break Leo's record or not, remains to be seen.
Ticket details
'Empuraan' ticket prices and advance bookings
Ticket prices for Empuraan in Kochi are between ₹200 and ₹400 for multiplexes, with premium recliner seats going up to ₹800.
Ultra-premium screens, such as PVR LUXE, have tickets priced at ₹1,400.
Single-screen theaters have kept rates between ₹100 and ₹250. IMAX 2D tickets for the opening day have been sold out at rates between ₹800 and ₹1,000.
Now coming to advance bookings, Sacnilk's latest figures suggest it has already grossed ₹8.91cr nationwide and ₹16.89cr with block seats.