L2: Empuraan Day 9 collection: Mohanlal's film races past ‘Manjummel Boys’, sets ₹250 crore global mark

Nine days in, L2: Empuraan is rewriting the record books. Despite simmering controversy and a steep dip in collections after a blockbuster start, the Mohanlal-starrer has emerged as the highest-grossing Malayalam film of all time. With a domestic net of ₹90.78 crore and a global haul crossing ₹250 crore, the film’s box office arc reflects both massive fan pull and mounting headwinds.

Released on March 27, L2: Empuraan opened to ₹21 crore on Day 1, a record for Malayalam cinema. The following days saw fluctuations:

• Day 2: ₹11.1 crore
• Day 3: ₹13.25 crore
• Day 4: ₹13.65 crore
• Day 5: ₹11.15 crore
• Day 6: ₹8.55 crore
• Day 7: ₹5.65 crore
• Day 8: ₹3.91 crore
• Day 9: ₹2.53 crore

Despite the slide, the film has achieved landmark success. Its worldwide collection has crossed ₹250 crore, overtaking Manjummel Boys (₹242 crore), The Goat Life (₹85 crore), 2018 (first-week collection ₹24.85 crore), and Aavesham (₹30.45 crore in opening week). It is also the first Malayalam film to earn over ₹100 crore in worldwide share.

International markets played a pivotal role. Overseas collections stand at ₹133 crore, including a record-setting £628,000 (₹7 crore) on its UK opening day. With $12 million earned outside India, Empuraan is now on track to potentially breach the ₹300 crore milestone globally.

Kerala has been the domestic backbone of the film’s success. In its first five days, the state contributed ₹53.05 crore gross. The Malayalam version continues to dominate, with 23.26% occupancy on Day 8 and a night-show peak of 30.16%.

Beyond Kerala, the Tamil and Telugu versions recorded 13.72% and 8.43% occupancy respectively on Day 8. The Hindi version added ₹1.6 crore in its first five days.

Controversy over the film’s portrayal of the 2002 Gujarat riots hit hard. Facing backlash, the makers cut 24 scenes and re-released a censored version. Mohanlal issued a public apology, and Suresh Gopi’s name was removed from the thanks card.

Despite these challenges, L2: Empuraan has broken records in both domestic and global circuits, driven by strong word-of-mouth, star power, and wide reach. At ₹90.78 crore net in India and ₹250+ crore worldwide, the film now sits atop Malayalam cinema’s all-time charts.