'L2: Empuraan' review and release updates: Mohanlal-starrer shatters records

Mohanlal-starrer Empuraan (L2E) is gearing up for a grand release with the first-day pre-release bookings sold out at an unprecedently rapid pace — a once-in-a-blue-moon festive event for moviegoers yearning for the big-screen, euphoria-laden movie experience. As per reports, the film has already made a pre-release gross of Rs 60 crores.  

Fans have already begun massive preparations to lay out the red carpet for the superstar's Stephen Nedumpally aka Khureshi Ab'raam, the seemingly enigmatic and powerful force with connections across the globe.

Prithviraj Sukumaran returns to the director's chair for the third time, for the sequel to one of Malayalam cinema's highest-grossing blockbusters, Lucifer, with which he made his directorial debut, headlined by Mohanlal, Prithviraj, Tovino Thomas, Manju Warrier, Indrajith Sukumaran, Sai Kumar, Suraj Venjaramoodu, Baiju Santhosh, Abhimanyu Singh, and many more.

Fans of the first film thrilled by the so-called 'hidden' details and the interweaving of multiple elements like international crime syndicates, political parties, drug smugglers, and compromised media houses hope to see more of it in Empuraan. And, of course, the many locations in which the team shot across the globe. The second chapter will see Khureshi Ab'raam show up in different parts of the world, as evidenced in the trailer released on March 20.

Moreover, Prithviraj hasn't revealed some of the potentially interesting cameos, such as the principal antagonist, in the film's 18-day promotional campaign which introduced only 36 characters so far. Reserving a bit of the mystery for the big screen is a move expected from a sensible filmmaker of Prithviraj's stature.

Suffice it to say, the anticipation for the second chapter of the mammoth-scale entertainer has already skyrocketed. The early shows of Empuraan begin at 6 am, on March 27, 2025.

Mohanlal fans started gathering for the first-day-first-show of Empuraan from 4 am on March 27.

Shenoys theatre in Kochi saw fans clad in black thronging the screens to watch the first show on Thursday. 

One of the fans said the first half of Empuraan gives them the goosebumps, calling Mohanlal's intro a "hurricane".

Some fans have gone gaga over the making and visuals of Empurran, saying Mohanlal have utilised his stardom to it maximum potential.