After four days, "Athiradi", starring Tovino Thomas and Basil Joseph, showed a nearly 60 per cent drop on its first Monday (Day 5), earning just Rs 2.25 crore in India net total on that day, compared to the first Sunday's Rs 5.60 crore. But the film has already gained considerably from the extended weekend gross. With a 50 crore worldwide gross already, it is said to have already recouped its total budget (reportedly 30 crore) — a solid break-even.
Data from various sources show that the film follows the same highly lucrative trajectory of other hit Malayalam action-comedies like "Thallumaala" and "Aavesham". It benefits significantly from family and youth audiences filling out 1,555 domestic shows, in addition to overseas shows. The international markets have contributed Rs 22.50 crore (over 45% of the total gross). 54.5% came from domestic collections.
When considering the budget vs profit factor, "Athiradi" has, in a short span, established itself as one among the five top-grossing Malayalam films of 2026 globally after "Vaazha 2", "Aadu 3", and "Bharathanatyam 2 Mohiniyattam" (relative to its reported 5 crore budget).
As their first major collaboration since "Minnal Murali" (where Basil directed Tovino), "Athiradi" leveraged the pre-established chemistry between the two. Its Day 5 cumulative gross of Rs 50 crore has overtaken the opening five-day pace of both Tovino's "Thallumaala" and Basil's "Guruvayoor Ambalanadayil".
The next week will be quite a challenge for "Athiradi" given the tighter theatrical window resulting from the release of "Drishyam 3" on Thursday (May 21). The expected reduced screen count is a challenge that films like "Thallumaala" — to which "Athiradi" has drawn comparisons — didn't face in the second week. But since the general feedback from audiences is fairly positive, along with mixed responses from some corners, the film is expected to continue with decent business.
