KOCHI: Movie watchers in Kerala had no dearth of options in 2022. As many as 235 Malayalam films made their way to theatres or OTT platforms, sometimes both, after a two-year Covid-induced lull. This is the most releases in five years.
However, most of the movies turned out to be duds. And, none of them entered the coveted Rs 100-crore club, though Mammootty-starrer Bheeshma Parvam came close.
Directed by Amal Neerad, the film made nearly Rs 85 crore, becoming 2022’s biggest hit in Malayalam. Released in January, Hridayam, directed by Vineeth Srinivasan and starring Pranav Mohanlal, was the first blockbuster of the year, earning Rs 54 crore, said sources in the film industry.
Jana Gana Mana starring Prithviraj Sukumaran and Suraj Venjaramoodu collected almost Rs 50 crore. Basil Joseph and Darshana Rajendran’s Jaya Jaya Jaya Jaya Hey, Mammootty’s Rorschach and Suresh Gopi’s Paappan, Kunchacko Boban’s Nna Thaan Case Kodu, Prithviraj’s Kaduva, Basil’s Palthu Janwar and Mammootty’s CBI 5: The Brain were the other hits.
Despite the large number of releases, Film Distributors Association secretary M M Hamsa said the box office collection was lower then earlier.
“Number of theatregoers dropped after the pandemic. Though 235 films were released, only a few were successful in theatres,” he said.
Other-language movies raked in moolah: FEOUK
Liberty Basheer, former president of Kerala Film Exhibitors Federation, too said the same. “There was no rush in theatres during Christmas too. Only a few of the several Malayalam movies released in 2002 appealed to the audience,” he said.
K Vijayakumar, president of the Film Exhibitors United Organisation of Kerala (FEOUK)– an organisation of film producers, cinema hall owners, and film distributors in the state – said other language films have been making big bucks in Kerala. Kannada movie KGF-2 collected Rs 80 crore from Kerala, almost as much as Bheeshma Parvam,” he said.
As per his estimate, there were around 165 theatre releases in 2022. “If you count both theatre and OTT releases, the number could be 235,” he said.