Actor Mammootty's latest movie The Priest, which hit the screens on Thursday (March 11), opened to a thunderous response at the Kerala box office and collected Rs 2.03 crore on day 1. The film continued its impressive run on Friday (March 12), remaining the top choice of the masses. The average occupancy was around 80 per cent, a good figure for a working day. The day 2 gross is expected to be around Rs 2 crore.
Quite a few films hit the screens after theatres were allowed to reopen but none of them, barring the Tamil biggie Master, lived up to expectations. The general perception is that The Priest has the potential to help the Malayalam film industry regain its mojo after the Covid-19 lockdown.
Also read: When Mammooty impressed the Kannada audience with his performance in a Sandalwood movie
A lot will, however, depend on whether the film is able to pick up over the weekend. The Priest has received positive reviews with most critics praising Mammootty's performance. 'Lady Superstar' Manju Warrier too has hit the right notes with her work. The word of mouth is better than expected, which is likely to help the flick in the long run.
The Priest marks Mammootty's return to the big screen after more than a year. The 'Megastar' was last seen in Shylock, which did well at the box office while receiving rave reviews. The actioner featured the mass hero in a new avatar that clicked with the janata. The Priest is likely to help the veteran score another hit.
Mammootty, meanwhile, is going through a busy phase on the work front. The actor will soon be seen in the political thriller One, which features him in the role of a principled chief minister. He also has the mass movie Bheeshma Parvam, directed by Amal Neerad, in his kitty. He is also set to reunite with the noted director for Bilal, a sequel to their popular film Big B.