In a stunning turn of events for Malayalam cinema, Dominic Arun’s superhero flick, Lokah: Chapter 1 – Chandra, starring Kalyani Priyadarshan and Naslen, has officially claimed the title of the highest-grossing film in the industry. This directorial venture by Dominic Arun has achieved this milestone by surpassing the box office performance of Mohanlal’s highly anticipated film, L2 Empuraan. Produced under Dulquer Salmaan’s Wayfarer Films banner, Lokah: Chapter 1 – Chandra has been lauded as ‘Mollywood’s biggest blockbuster.’ Even in its fourth week since its release on August 28th, the film continues to perform exceptionally well globally. The film’s production house proudly announced, ‘History books rewritten! Don’t miss the epic superhero film everyone’s talking about!’
Trade data indicates that in just 23 days, Lokah garnered ₹130.50 crore nett in India and a staggering ₹266 crore worldwide. This impressive collection surpasses L2 Empuraan’s lifetime earnings of ₹105.25 crore nett in India and ₹265.5 crore worldwide. Furthermore, Lokah has also outshone previous record-holders like Manjummel Boys, which collected ₹240.5 crore, and Thudarum, with ₹234.5 crore, solidifying its position at the top.
Lokah: Chapter 1 – Chandra is the first installment in a planned five-part cinematic universe exploring mythological creatures. The narrative centers on Chandra/Neeli, a yakshi (vampire) summoned by Moothon (voiced by Mammootty). Her neighbor, Sunny (Naslen), finds himself drawn into a larger conflict after falling for her. Meanwhile, Inspector Nachiyappa (Sandy) is on their trail.
The film also introduces intriguing supernatural characters: Charlie (Dulquer Salmaan), an odiyan (shapeshifter), and Chathan (Tovino Thomas), a goblin. The ending hints at Chathan’s backstory being explored in the subsequent installment. The film also features notable cameos from actors like Santhy Balachandran, who also co-wrote the story, Soubin Shahir, and Anna Ben.