Malaikottai Vaaliban box office collection Day 5: Mohanlal and Lijo Jose Pellissery’s film hits a new low on first Monday; earns 90% less than opening day

On Monday, Malaikottai Vaaliban experienced an overall occupancy of 12.81 per cent in the Malayalam market. Initially, during the morning shows, the movie had only 10.78 per cent occupancy, and during the afternoon showings, the figure dipped to 10.35 per cent. However, as the day progressed, the percentages saw a slight increase, as evening shows had an occupancy of 13.37 per cent, which reached 16.74 per cent during the night screenings.

In Kerala, Malaikottai Vaaliban earned just Rs 31 lakh on Monday, as reported by local industry tracker What The Fuss, with 20,020 admissions across 779 shows, achieving an occupancy rate of 8.66 per cent collectively.

In comparison to some of the highest-grossing Malayalam movies of all time, the first Monday figure of Malaikottai Valiban is deeply concerning for its makers, especially given its substantial budget.

While Jude Anthany Joseph’s 2018: Everyone is a Hero (2023) made Rs 4.55 crore in the domestic market on its first Monday, Prithviraj Sukumaran’s Lucifer (2019) recorded Rs 3.98 crore, Vysakh’s Pulimurugan earned Rs 3.26 crore, Amal Neerad’s Bheeshma Parvam generated Rs 2.69 crore, Jeethu Joseph’s Neru eked out Rs 4.6 crore and Nahas Hidayath’s RDX minted Rs 3.76 crore, as per Sacnilk’s figures.

Meanwhile, addressing the media recently, director Lijo Jose Pellissery alleged that a negative campaign was underway against the film, impacting its business. He also encouraged audiences to watch the film in theatres without being influenced by others’ opinions.

In his review of the movie, The Indian Express’ Anandu Suresh noted, “Unlike Mohanlal’s recent films, where makers often got carried away by either his stardom or his potential as a performer, Lijo Jose Pellissery’s multi-genre movie strikes a fine balance between these aspects, while striving not to compromise on its overall quality.”