Kurup, the Dulquer Salmaan-starrer that released on Friday, has collected about Rs 7 crore at the box office in the first two days of release in its main territory, Kerala, Film Exhibitors United Organisation of Kerala’s General Secretary Sumesh Joseph Manarcaud told Silverscreen India.
“Kurup is running in 505 screens including single screens and multiplex theatres in Kerala. The film has garnered around 7 crores in the first two days in the state and that’s a record. Kurup has brought the audience back to the big screen. All groups of audience, including families, are gradually returning to theatres,” said Sumesh.
He noted that most theatres, which are operating at 50% capacity as directed by the government, are running around four to five shows of the film per day. The first show begins at nine in the morning.
Directed by Srinath Rajendran and produced by Wayfarer Films and M-Star Entertainments, Kurup is one of the biggest Malayalam films to release in cinemas in the state post their reopening.
Initially, theatres in Kerala closed down in March 2020 following a rise in Covid-19 cases. While they reopened in January 2021, operations were again halted in April in the wake of the second wave of the pandemic. After months of waiting, theatres finally resumed screenings on October 25, with a handful of Hollywood films and a few regional films such as Star, Doctor, and Annaatthe.
Kurup, which has been receiving mixed-to-good reviews, has turned out to be a crowd-puller for cinemas in the state.
The crime thriller is based on the life of Sukumara Kurup, Kerala’s most wanted fugitive, who, in 1984, burned to death a young film representative and faked his death to evade the police. It features Dulquer in the titular role and also stars Sobhita Dhulipala, Shine Tom Chacko, Indrajith Sukumaran, Sunny Wayne, Tovino Thomas, and Surabhi Lakshmi, among several others.
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Sumesh noted that people will come to theatres if a film is good and added that this has been proven true for Kurup. “All shows are housefull and we expect business to get back to normalcy soon.”
“We are looking forward to Suresh Gopi’s Kaaval, which is slated for release on November 25, followed by Salman Khan-starrer Antim, Mohanlal’s highly-anticipated Marakkar: Arabikadalinte Simham and Ajagajantharam, starring Antony Varghese. We are also expecting permission to operate at 100% capacity by December,” he added.