Mollywood
Patriot Box Office: Mammootty, Mohanlal Starrer Is Free Fall After Strong Weekend
BY SACNILK
Kochi, May 7 - Malayalam cinema has produced several successful films over the last few years, but the industry's ambitious big-budget ventures continue to face major hurdles at the box office. Director Mahesh Narayanan's spy action thriller Patriot, headlined by legendary stars Mammootty and Mohanlal, was initially expected to emerge as a landmark global blockbuster for Mollywood, but it is now witnessing a sharp downward trend after a promising start. Released amid massive expectations and strong pre-release buzz, Patriot opened to an impressive worldwide gross of around 28 crores on its opening day. The film collected more than 60 crores globally during its first three-day weekend, giving hope for a long theatrical run. However, the weekend trend itself indicated that sustaining momentum during weekdays could become difficult, and the collections have now dropped heavily since Monday. (adsbygoogle = window.adsbygoogle || []).push({}) The spy thriller is currently struggling to even touch the 100 crore milestone worldwide. The film's first-week total is expected to finish in the range of 75 crores gross globally. Mixed word of mouth and the film's niche subject appear to have impacted its performance beyond the initial weekend rush. In six days so far, Patriot has grossed around 30.25 crores in India, while the overseas market has contributed an estimated 42 crores, taking the worldwide cumulative total to approximately 72 crores gross. Reportedly mounted on a massive budget of nearly 125 crores, Patriot ranks among the most expensive Malayalam films ever made. Unfortunately, this is not the first time a high-budget Mollywood film has failed to meet expectations at the box office. Back in 2024, Mohanlal's Malaikottai Vaaliban also ended up as a commercial disappointment. Despite strong hype before release, the film failed to gross even 30 crores worldwide against a reported budget of over 60 crores and was eventually declared a disaster. (adsbygoogle = window.adsbygoogle || []).push({}) Mohanlal's Empuraan, the sequel to his blockbuster Lucifer (2019), also failed to meet its full potential despite being the second-highest-grossing Malayalam film of all time with around 267 crores gross worldwide. It had an earthshattering opening of around 70 crores with a 4-day opening weekend, grossing a mammoth 173 crores. However, the mixed word of mouth dented its collection beyond the weekend, and despite emerging as a commercial success story, it somehow fell short of industry expectations.
