The ongoing post-Onam phase has historically been a dull period for the Kerala Box Office, especially when the Pooja holidays fall within such a short interval. However, Lokah Chapter 1: Chandra is one of those exceptions with an unprecedented trend at the ticket windows. It hasn't faced much opposition right from the Onam race when Hridayapoorvam was always going to play second fiddle and Odum Kuthira Chaadum Kuthira never took off at all.
This dull period hasn't helped any of the new Mollywood releases in recent weeks and the fact that their content wasn't very good only compounded their miseries. However, Shane Nigam's latest action entertainer Balti has taken a solid start at the Kerala Box Office and is carrying good audience feedback. As a result, it is on track for a solid opening weekend. Balti alongside Lokah Chapter 1: Chandra are the top-2 films at the Kerala Box Office this week. The other two new releases, They Call Him OG and Karam have endured extremely underwhelming openings and both films have mixed audience feedback, meaning that there is no real hope for them going forward.
Lokah Chapter 1: Chandra grossed Rs 70 lakh on Friday (September 26) and then showed a phenomenal jump on Saturday (September 27) by clocking Rs 1.26 crore. Meanwhile, Balti started with Rs 85 lakh on Friday and then showed a strong jump on Saturday (Rs 1.09 crore). Mirage, which released last week, has collected more on Saturday than They Call Him OG and Karam, and that should tell you the fate of the new releases. The Asif Ali-starrer, however, isn't going to be a success either but at least, it is managing respectable numbers for the moment.
September 26-27 Kerala Box Office Top-5
Lokah Chapter 1: Chandra - Rs 1.96 crore (Total - Rs 109.92 crore)
Balti - Rs 1.94 crore
Karam - Rs 38.30 lakh (Total Rs 92 lakh)
Mirage - Rs 37.85 lakh (Total Rs 4.91 crore)
They Call Him OG - Rs 28.40 lakh
Mohanlal's Hridayapoorvam, which has released on JioHotstar this week, collected Rs 7.60 lakh across these two days to take its total to Rs 41.96 crore at the Kerala Box Office. With the OTT premiere, the film's theatrical run is more or less over, and ends with a HIT verdict. The Anime flick Demon Slayer Infinity Castle has taken its Kerala gross to Rs 4.87 crore from 16 days and is a profitable venture for the distributors.
The next will see multiple big releases in the form of Kantara: Chapter 1 and Idli Kadai while there is also a medium-sized release from Bollywood in Varun Dhawan's Sunny Sanskari Ki Tulsi Kumari.
