The Kerala Story 2: Goes Beyond made Rs. Earning around Rs 75 lakh on Friday. The Kerala High Court had stayed the release of the film on Thursday, but the order was reversed on Friday afternoon. As a result, films could start in theaters as early as 6 pm, with some shows continuing even late in the evening. Considering the last minute approvals, effectively opening day, the film did very well. Effectively, Friday served as a paid preview for the film rather than a full opening day.
The original Kerala Story film was a blockbuster in 2023, earning Rs. 6 crores nett and approx Rs. Collected. 230 crore nett. The film has been called a propaganda film and to be honest, this is not so much on the surface, but the truth is that the subject matter of the film found a good number of viewers, especially in the Hindi belt. There was a quip in trade circles about how the film actually played like an educational film in some parts of the country.
It is not certain whether this can be repeated with the sequel or not. This type of films has seen a decline since the peak in 2022-2023. For example, The Bengal Files received a huge downgrade from The Kerala Files. Having said that, the film’s trailer had a strong, impactful tone, which seemed better than Bengal Files. From this, one can expect the same, but it is hard to predict such things. Importantly, the film does not need to perform as well as the original; Half of this or even less would be a great result. The circumstances under which it got opened up show that there is interest in it too.
Only today will give a clear picture. There is an open corridor for the film till Dhurandhar 2 and Toxic arrive on March 19. If it gets traction from its target audience, it may continue to do well and survive at the box office.
Also read: Tere Naam re-release Day 1 box office collection: Salman Khan’s cult classic romantic drama opens with Rs 25 lakh
