L2: Empuraan, starring Malayalam actor Mohanlal, has already made Rs 58 crore in advance sales globally. Given its March 27 release date, the movie may end up being Malayalam cinema’s largest offering.
Director Prithviraj Sukumaran and Malayalam actor Mohanlal are preparing for the release of their greatest gift, the Lucifer sequel L2: Empuraan. Mohanlal’s most recent post claims that Empuraan is headed for scripting history and has already made Rs 58 crore in advance bookings. The sequel may become the fastest Malayalam film to reach Rs 100 crore globally, according to trade analysts.
Prithviraj is the director of Empuraan, a follow-up to Lucifer, which was a huge box office hit. In an exclusive interview with India Today Digital, trade analysts Sreedhar Pillai and Ramesh Bala discussed the excitement around Empuraan and how it appears to be poised to become the largest release from the Malayalam film industry in 2025 as it prepares for a March 27 theatrical release.
NEVER-SEEN-BEFORE BUZZ AND A FLYING START AT THE BOX OFFICE
L2: There is a lot of promise in Empuraan’s advance booking. One of the film’s producers, Aashirvad Cinemas, posted a poster of Mohanlal and stated that the movie’s pre-sales exceeded Rs 58 crore during its first weekend of release. This is very revolutionary for a Malayalam movie.
According to trade expert Ramesh Bala, Empuraan is already very popular in Kerala and is predicted to make Rs 15 crore on its first day of release. On its first day, Empuraan is expected to bring in between Rs 40 and Rs 50 crore worldwide. It is the highest number ever recorded for a Malayalam movie.
Similar sentiments were expressed by trade expert Sreedhar Pillai, who stated that history is being made. By any measure, the buzz is enormous based on the pre-release sales figures. In Thrissur, Kerala, there is a theater named Ragam with a single screen that can accommodate 1,000 people at a time. All of the events are houseful for the following four days, with scheduled performances starting at 6 am on March 27. Thus, you can imagine the excitement around the movie. In Kerala, it is clocking in at an unprecedented opening. Unlike fans from other regions of the nation, there is no culture of hero worship. Thus, this is truly groundbreaking,” he clarified.
A PERFECT COMEBACK FOR MOHANLAL?
With his most recent films—particularly “Malaikottai Vaaliban” and his directing debut, “Barroz”—not doing well at the box office, Mohanlal has been going through a difficult time in his career. “It is been a bad phase truly,” Pillai remarked after giving it some thought. However, he only needs one movie to be a box office success because he is a superstar. His fan base is unmatched, and Empuraan currently appears to be the ideal time for him to make a comeback.
NOT JUST KERALA, EMPURAAN IS DOMINATING INTERNATIONAL BELT
The advance reservations for Empuraan (Malayalam version) in Kerala and other states have been outstanding. Pillai said that the movie is also doing well in other nations. There are some Malayali people in Ireland, and the movie is very popular there as well. “It has already surpassed $1 million and counting in the United States,” said Pillai.
Ramesh Bala described it as a “huge boost” for the Malayalam industry, saying, “Empuraan will set new records. The advance booking for the film is exceptional from Thursday to Sunday. In non-native markets, we will have to wait for word-of-mouth. Empuraan will compete with the Telugu film Robinhood (starting March 28), Salman Khan’s Sikandar (starting March 30), and Veera Dheera Sooran (starring Chiyaan Vikram). Empuraan appears to be the most promising of all the releases.
Sreedhar Pillai predicts that Empuraan will become the fastest Malayalam film to cross Rs 100 crore worldwide during its opening weekend.
CAST OF L2: EMPURAAN
L2: Empuraan is an action thriller, a sequel to Lucifer, which marked Prithviraj Sukumaran’s directorial debut. Written by Murali Gopy, the film is the second instalment in the three-part franchise.
Prithviraj Sukumaran, Manju Warrier, Tovino Thomas, Indrajith Sukumaran, Abhimanyu Singh, Jerome Flynn, and Suraj Venjaramoodu are prominent members of the ensemble cast in addition to Mohanlal.
