Drishyam 2 Malayalam - A Big Missed Box Office Opportunity!

Mumbai, November 19 - The covid-19 pandemic was a massive hurdle for the Indian film industry to ignore as films over the last two years were forced to take a different route other than the conventional theatrical way.

While the makers initially had no choice but to opt for direct digital releases of their movies to prevent big losses as theaters were closed, no one can deny that the lack of patience in them not only left exhibitors in the doldrums but also made those filmmakers let the big opportunities to go.



One of the questionable decisions, which was heavily criticized by the Kerala theater association, was skipping the theatrical release of Mohanlal's highly-anticipated suspense thriller "Drishyam 2" as it was sold to Amazon Prime Video for direct release in February 2021.

Skipping the theatrical release of "Drishyam 2" might not be a tough decision for the makers back then as they hardly had an idea what they are going to lose later on. The latest Hindi remake of "Drishyam 2" has done what the original Malayalam movie wasn't even given the opportunity and that is scoring big bucks at the box office.

"Drishyam 2" Malayalam got an excellent response from critics and OTT audiences alike and it would have surely done wonders at the box office had it been released in theaters. The Hindi version, which was released on November 18, surpassed all expectations and took the opening of over 15 crores net with the 3-day opening weekend total finishing above 64 crores net, which is excellent, to say the least.



Very much like Bollywood at present, the Malayalam industry was also undergoing a big slump at the time of the "Drishyam 2" release as most films were skipping theatrical releases. It could have done the same as its remake is doing for Bollywood, giving a major relief.

While the Malayalam filmmakers were too harsh towards the theatrical options back then, the other industries including Bollywood were also on the same path, leaving the box office biz gasping and on the verge of collapse. There were several Bollywood films, including "Shershaah", "Mimi", and "Dil Bechara", among others, which could have easily held on for theatrical releases but the makers decided against this option.

Stay tuned...