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Box Office: Marana Mass BANNED in Saudi; Will it affect Basil Joseph’s BO performance?
Marana Mass faces a Saudi ban over LGBTQIA+ representation; will this impact Basil Joseph’s box office momentum or will Kerala’s love for mass entertainers pull through?
Director Basil Joseph of Minnal Murali fame has turned to acting, and his latest film, Marana Mass, was off to a fiery start this week; but a cloud has already settled over its international release. The film has reportedly been banned in Saudi Arabia due to the inclusion of a queer actor in the cast. Kuwait, too, gave it a green light only after censoring scenes involving the actor. While this development has sparked fresh conversations about inclusivity versus regional sensibilities, the big question now is if it will impact the film’s box office potential.
It’s no secret that the Gulf region has been a goldmine when it comes to the Overseas market for Malayalam films. Just as Telugu cinema thrives in the US or Tamil films find big numbers in Malaysia and Singapore, the Middle East has long been a second home for Kerala’s movie business due to the large Malayali population settled there. However, for casting a transgender actor in one particular role in the film, Saudi and Kuwait have decided to ban the movie, citing LGBTQIA+ references as the primary reason.
Earlier, a couple of other Malayali films were also banned for the same reason. However, director Sivaprasad stated that he has never looked into the gender of the actors before casting them, and he wants to normalize LGBTQIA+ things as well. And the absence of the film's release in these territories will surely affect the collections.
So yes, the absence of a Saudi release will reflect in overseas totals. But back home, all eyes are on Kerala, where the film is expected to do the heavy lifting. After all, L2: Empuraan crossed Rs 70 crore in Kerala alone, proving just how powerful the home base can be. Marana Mass may have lost a few screens, but with solid early chatter and a genre that’s tailor-made for mass appeal, it still has plenty of fuel in the tank.
Set in a fictional town brimming with chaos, the story of Marana Mass follows Basil’s character, a quick-witted everyman who unintentionally steps into a high-stakes mess along with others. he boards a bus that also has a serial killer traveling on it. With the reviews sounding positive and word-of-mouth support, let's see how the Box Office is going to respond to that.
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