A staggering 95% of Malayalam films failed to make a mark at the box office; producers are staring at a total loss of around Rs 350 crore as the year comes to an end
Jithu Madhavan’s debut Romancham, a horror-comedy, was an unlikely hit in the Malayalam film industry in 2023. Released on February 3, it clicked despite the absence of mainstream stars, with the exception of Soubin Shahir and Arjun Ashokan, and a brief appearance by Chemban Vinod Jose in a cameo role. The film story revolves around a bunch of friends living in the suburbs of Bengaluru and their strange tryst with a spirit when they play with the Ouija board, the tool of the devil.
Now, the team is shooting a prequel of the film, Aavesham, in which Chemban’s role will be played by Fahadh Faasil. A sequel is in the pipeline for the coming year. Currently, Jeethu Joseph’s Mohanlal-starrer Neru is having a dream run in the theatres with fans pouring into the cinemas for special shows as they believe to have gotten back their ‘Laletta’ in his vintage avatar of an underdog hero. Neru is a riveting courtroom drama; Mohanlal plays the role of a prosecutor, who tries to get justice for a sculptor girl, the victim of a sexual assault.
The Malayalam film industry saw the release of over 220 movies this year. However, a staggering 95% of them failed at the box office. According to the sources in the Film Exhibitors United Organisation of Kerala (FEUOK), merely four of these films were categorized as ‘hits.’ About 11 or 12 odd films might have succeeded in breaking even, largely due to their release on OTT platforms and in overseas markets. The Kerala film chamber, too, attested to this.
Debut filmmakers court success
“We do not have the collection records of Neru but apart from Romancham, 2018 (a survival drama set in during the 2018 floods that rattled Kerala by Jude Anthany Joseph), Kannur Squad (an investigative road thriller, involving an elite police squad, directed by Roby Varghese Raj) and RDX (an action-packed family drama by Nahas Hidayath) were some films that did reasonably well, with 2018 leading the gross collection,” said an office-bearer of the Kerala film chamber. There were a handful of other interesting films that received excellent reviews while they were in theatres, but most of them failed to translate into good numbers, he added. Interestingly, three of these four successful movies of 2023 were by debutant directors.
On the other hand, non-Malayalam films with super stars in the lead were the ones that helped the film exhibitors and distributors keep their head above water. According to Suresh Shenoy, the managing director of Shenoy’s cinemas, Kochi, Nelson Dilipkumar’s Rajinikanth-starrer Jailer and Lokesh Kanagaraj’s Vijay-starrer Leo were the two releases that ruled the theatres in Kerala. Maniratnam’s Ponniyin Selvan-II also made good money from the Kerala market.
Movies that require a theatrical audience tend to fare well, and there is a significant market for Malayalam cinema during festival seasons. However, the industry hesitates to release films during these occasions, unlike films in other languages that seize this opportunity. “Festivals like Vishu, Onam, Id, and Christmas are particularly lucrative. For the past couple of years, there have been non-Malayalam films consistently releasing during this time. Currently, Neru is in competition with the Prabhas-starrer Salaar, which has Prithviraj in a key role, as mass films are making their mark,” says Maneesh Narayanan, noted film journalist and editor of the news portal, The Cue.
Losses mount
“The audience in Kerala is comfortable watching films in at least five languages — Tamil, Telugu, Kannada, Hindi, and Malayalam. Notably, the second-highest collection for the Kannada film Kantara was from Kerala. The audience’s preference for films in theatres has shifted, transcending language barriers as the youth is a key audience,” observes Maneesh Narayanan.
Movies featuring superstars and renowned names in lead roles are typically expected to perform well in their initial release. The broader family audience tends to be drawn to theatres in the subsequent weeks. However, if a film fails to generate initial interest, attracting the family audience becomes a challenging task. The lack of success, particularly of superstar films like Mohanlal’s releases, led to the industry’s dismal performance. Films like Alone, 12th Man, and Monster fell flat in theatres, leaving the producers in a lurch. Along with Mohanlal’s lackluster performance, Christopher, featuring his counterpart Mammootty, Dulquer Salmaan’s King of Kotha, and Neelavelicham featuring Tovino Thomas, too, did not meet expectations. Mammotty had a couple of critically acclaimed releases, including Nanpakal Nerathu Mayakkam and Kaathal, which compensated for the box-office losses.
As 2023 comes to an end, producers are anticipating a total loss of around Rs 350 crore. However, many observers note that this trend is not novel. Historically, only approximately 10-15 percent of total releases have achieved success in the Malayalam film industry. This reality raises concerns, particularly in the context of the new business environment post-COVID and the onset of the OTT era.
