Aavesham's Box Office Success and Digital Release Impact
Aavesham has reached a significant milestone, grossing Rs. 98 crore in India within four weeks. This success places the film among the top three grossing Malayalam films of all time, surpassing Pulimurugan and Aadujeevitham. Manjummel Boys and 2018, released in 2024, currently hold the top two positions.
Notably, 2024 has been an exceptional year for the Malayalam film industry. Six of the industry's highest-grossing films were released in the first four months of the year, including Aavesham. This achievement mirrors Bollywood's 2023 success, where four top grossers were released within 12 months. However, in Malayalam cinema, this occurred within a remarkable three-month period.
Aavesham's box office performance had initially indicated a potential run to the second spot, grossing around Rs. 110 crore. However, its scheduled digital release on May 9th has cut short its theatrical run in Kerala. Unfortunately, this decision may prevent the film from breaking further records and achieving higher benchmarks.
The early digital release has also been met with concerns. In Kerala, films typically enjoy extended theatrical runs. A four-week OTT window is considered short, and examples from earlier this year show that delayed digital releases have allowed films like Manjummel Boys and Premalu to increase their box office earnings. For instance, Premalu grossed nearly Rs. 40 crore after its fourth week, while Manjummel Boys brought in an additional Rs. 10 crore including its Telugu dubbed version.
A similar scenario for Aavesham could have potentially added an additional Rs. 10 crore to its overall gross. Therefore, the early digital release may have hindered the film's earnings.
