Box office: Prithviraj Sukumaran's 'Aadujeevitham' rings up impressive numbers
Prithviraj Sukumaran's latest film, Aadujeevitham: The Goat Life, has been making a significant splash at the box office since its release on Thursday. The survival drama, helmed by National Award-winning director Blessy, had an impressive opening day, raking in Rs. 7.6cr in India. On Friday, Aadujeevitham refused to be overshadowed, holding its ground against both Crew and the Hollywood release Godzilla X Kong. Here's a breakdown of the Day 2 collection.
Why does this story matter?
Based on the namesake 2008 best-selling Malayalam novel by Benyamin, Blessy revealed at the Kerala Literature Festival (KLF) that he has likely read the novel more times than the author himself. A highly-anticipated project, its production faced unexpected challenges when the crew found themselves stranded in the Jordan desert for 70 days in 2020, due to the COVID-19 pandemic. Despite such roadblocks, the cast and crew persevered through. Amala Paul co-stars alongside Sukumaran.
'Aadujeevitham' enjoyed high occupancy across multiple languages
The film seems to have benefitted from the ongoing long weekend, thanks to Good Friday. Per Sacnilk, the film added Rs. 6.50cr on Friday, taking its total to Rs. 14.10cr. The Malayalam version saw a robust 75.09% occupancy, with afternoon showings attracting nearly 80% of the audience. In addition to Malayalam, the film was also released in Tamil, Telugu, Kannada, and Hindi languages, reporting an overall occupancy of 22.13% in Tamil and 14.43% in Telugu.
'Aadujeevitham' competes with other films
Aadujeevitham was released a few weeks after Manjummel Boys, the first Malayalam film to cross the coveted Rs. 200cr mark. It was released on February 22. While Aadujeevitham may challenge Manjummel Boys due to its multi-language release and wider screen presence, both belong to strikingly different genres. The film is also contending with the Bollywood film Crew (which earned Rs. 8.75cr) and Hollywood blockbuster Godzilla x Kong: The New Empire (which raked in Rs. 13.80cr on its opening day).
Here's more about 'Aadujeevitham's storyline
In 1993, Najeeb, a laborer from a village in Kerala, set off for Saudi Arabia with dreams of a supermarket job. But his hopeful journey took a nightmarish turn when he was deceived and abandoned in a remote Saudi village. This real-life tale of struggle and resilience found its way onto the big screen through The Goat Life. To note, Disney+ Hotstar has reportedly secured digital streaming rights for Aadujeevitham. Sukumaran will next be seen in Bade Miyan Chote Miyan.