Box Office: Mohanlal sets eyes on highest grossing movie in Kerala title with L2 Empuraan, 9 years after his historic hit Pulimurugan

Nine years after Pulimurugan redefined Kerala’s box office, Mohanlal is once again in the race for history. Mohanlal's latest outing, L2: Empuraan, has stormed past Rs 70 crore in just a week at the Kerala box office with its Malayalam version, setting its sights on overtaking another of Mohanlal’s blockbusters, Pulimurugan. The latter holds the record with a lifetime gross of just under Rs 90 crore in Kerala. With strong momentum behind it, will L2: Empuraan dethrone Pulimurugan from its long-held position?

Released in 2016, Pulimurugan was not just a film—it was a revolution in Malayalam cinema. It became the first Mollywood film to collect Rs 100 crore worldwide and dominated the Kerala box office, collecting just under Rs 90 crore from the state alone. Since then, no Malayalam film has been able to break its Kerala record, despite strong contenders like Lucifer, Drishyam 2, and Manjummel Boys.

Though Manjummel Boys collected over Rs 235 crore worldwide—becoming the highest-grossing Malayalam movie ever—it earned only a little over Rs 70 crore from Kerala, thereby leaving the No.1 spot in the state to Pulimurugan.

Unlike Pulimurugan, a standalone mass entertainer, L2: Empuraan benefits from being a sequel to the blockbuster Lucifer. With Prithviraj Sukumaran returning as director, the film had immense pre-release buzz. By the end of its first week, it had already surpassed Rs 71 crore in Kerala, quickly catching up to Manjummel Boys’ Kerala total and now setting its sights squarely on Pulimurugan's long-standing record.

Given Empuraan's outstanding box office performance, the Rs 90 crore milestone could be reached in a matter of days. If the current pace continues, it might even surpass Rs 100 crore in Kerala alone—a feat no Malayalam film has yet achieved within the state.

As L2: Empuraan races towards the Kerala box office crown, another titan is preparing to enter the fray. The April 10 release of Mammootty’s Bazooka could affect the long-term collections of L2: Empuraan, especially if it receives a thunderous response on Day 1.

Recent successes like Kannur Squad and Bramayugam have underscored Mammootty’s strong box office pull, and Bazooka is already generating significant positive buzz.

L2: Empuraan needs to maximize its earnings before Bazooka hits theaters if it hopes to solidify its position as Malayalam cinema’s highest-grossing film—both in Kerala and overall. With box office giants clashing, Kerala is in for a thrilling cinematic showdown!

ALSO READ: Box Office: As Sikandar plays in theaters worldwide, revisiting Sathyaraj's 5 most celebrated movies