The recent disclosures by the Kerala Film Producers’ Association regarding the budgets and theatre shares of the latest Malayalam films have sparked considerable interest among film aficionados. K Suresh Kumar, an official representative of the producers, has challenged the creators of Malayalam cinema to present at least one film that has achieved a theatre share exceeding Rs 100 Cr. This challenge has led fans to question the validity of the box office figures released by the teams of recent films that were classified as superhits.

Unni Mukundan’s film Marco, which is poised to begin streaming on Sony LIV shortly, is reported by its producers to have garnered over Rs 115 Cr in worldwide gross. However, the figures provided indicate that it has only achieved a theatre share of Rs 20 Cr. This raises the question: what accounts for this discrepancy?

Unni Mukundan’s Marco collects Rs 20 Cr in theatre share

Unni Mukundan’s Marco reports a theatre share of Rs 20 Cr. This does not imply that the producers have manipulated the figures. Industry tracker Sacnilk has recorded Marco’s Indian market collection at Rs 61 Cr by the end of its first month, with Rs 41 Cr attributed to its Malayalam version.

To clarify the distinction between overall gross collection and theatre share, Anil V Thomas, an official from the Kerala Film Chamber of Commerce and a director, explains, “The figures released by producers represent the overall gross collection. The theatre share, which is allocated solely to the producer, constitutes only a portion of this total. For example, if a film earns Rs 100, 30% is deducted as tax, leaving 70% to be divided among producers, distributors, and exhibitors. In the first week, the producer receives 50%, in the second week, 55%, and from the third week onward, 65% of this share.”

Thus, even a film like Manjummel Boys, which holds the record as the highest-grossing Malayalam film to date, would have generated less than Rs 50 Cr in theatre share, according to Anil, who further notes that no Malayalam film has yet achieved a theatre share of Rs 100 Cr.

In December, the films Marco and Rifle Club achieved theatre shares of Rs 12 Cr and Rs 9 Cr, respectively, against production budgets of Rs 9 Cr and Rs 18 Cr. In contrast, Mohanlal’s Barroz performed poorly at the box office, garnering only Rs 4 Cr despite a substantial budget of Rs 112 Cr.

Rekhachithram, the sole haymaker in January 2025

As for January 2025, Asif Ali’s Rekhachithram stands out as the only major success, generating Rs 12.5 Cr for its producer from a budget of Rs 8.5 Cr. Conversely, other films such as Tovino Thomas’ Identity, now available on ZEE5, and Basil Joseph’s Pravinkoodu Shappu have resulted in significant financial losses for their producers. Identity, produced with a budget of Rs 30 Cr, returned merely Rs 3.5 Cr, while Pravinkoodu Shappu achieved a theatre share of Rs 4 Cr against its budget of Rs 18.5 Cr.

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