L2 Empuraan, the second installment in actor-filmmaker Prithviraj’s ambitious Lucifer universe, premiered in theaters globally on March 27. The original Malayalam film, which is also available in Tamil, Kannada, Telugu, and Hindi, experienced a remarkable opening in its home state of Kerala and is performing exceptionally well in regions with significant Malayali populations, such as Bengaluru.

In Karnataka, the film is being distributed by Hombale Films and has launched with 1,008 screenings exclusively in Bengaluru. Only 12 other films have achieved a four-figure show count in the city. Of the more than 1,000 shows, approximately 615 are dedicated to the Malayalam version, with around 400 of these either fast-filling or sold out on the first day, setting a record for non-Kannada films in the city this year.

Earlier today, Empuraan recorded 391 fast-filling or sold-out shows, which is more than double the figures for Venkatesh’s Sankrantiki Vasthunam (165), Ajith’s Vidaamuyarchi (113), Ram Charan’s (96), and Vicky Kaushal’s Chhaava (81). The film had 153 early morning screenings in Bengaluru, starting at 6 am, with an estimated gross of Rs 73 lakh from these shows.

One day prior to the film's release, tracking data indicated that Empuraan had achieved a pre-sales gross of Rs 3 crore at the Karnataka box office, marking the highest figure for any language film in the state this year. Nonetheless, there have been claims of manipulation in bookings, with reports suggesting that block bookings by the producers or distributors contributed to this revenue.

Empuraan received average reviews, falling short of the high expectations established by the success of Lucifer. Although it was praised for its visual appeal and featured several standout moments, viewers found the storyline lacking. This film serves as a lead-in to the trilogy's third and final installment, for which no timeline has been announced. However, Prithviraj has indicated that his upcoming directorial project will not be L3, but rather a film he is dedicated to producing with Hombale Films.