Will L2 Empuraan affect Salman Khan-starrer Sikandar or vice versa? Trade experts open up; hopeful that Mohanlal-starrer goes the KGF - Chapter 1 and Marco way in Hindi markets

The next few days are going to be exciting for moviegoers. While L2 Empuraan releases in cinemas on March 27, Sikandar arrives on the big screen on March 30. L2 Empuraan is the sequel to Lucifer (2019) and stars Mohanlal and Prithviraj Sukumaran; the latter has even directed it. The original Malayalam version’s bookings are unprecedented. Though Malayalam films have barely made a mark in the Hindi-speaking markets, can L2 Empuraan emerge as an exception? If yes, will it affect Sikandar or vice versa?

 

Will L2 Empuraan affect Salman Khan-starrer Sikandar or vice versa? Trade experts open up; hopeful that Mohanlal-starrer goes the KGF - Chapter 1 and Marco way in Hindi markets

 

Trade veteran Taran Adarsh said, “In the South, it’ll dominate, especially the Malayalam version which will be huge. Hindi films do have a market in the South but there, L2 Empuraan will take the lead. It releases earlier (than Sikandar) and its first three days are going to be massive. Sikandar, on the other hand, is coming on Sunday. Since it’s a Salman Khan film, that too on Eid, it will definitely take a lead in the North belt.”

 

He continued, “It now remains to be seen how the response is. The first part, Lucifer (2019), was fantastic. Mohanlal is a legend. Prithviraj is also popular and there’s also Tovino Thomas in the film. Hence, all these factors will benefit. In Malayalam, L2 Empuraan will be the biggest opener ever. UAE GCC will be massive for both the films.”

 

Trade analyst Atul Mohan agreed on the Overseas business of the Mohanlal-starrer but doesn’t believe that it can affect Sikandar’s prospects, “Overseas is a different ball game altogether. There are a lot of South Indians (in many parts of the world). In North India, the popularity enjoyed by Telugu actors like Prabhas, Allu Arjun, Mahesh Babu, Jr NTR, Ram Charan etc. is much more than that of Tamil and Malayalam actors. Jailer was huge down South but didn’t do big business in the North. The same goes for the movies of Vijay. Also, with all due respect to Mohanlal sir, he is no way close to Rajinikanth in terms of popularity.”

 

 

On the other hand, film exhibitor and distributor Akshaye Rathi predicted, “It’s tough to predict. If you go back in time, there was a film featuring Shah Rukh Khan, Zero (2018), completely dominating the screen count in the Northern market. One film was released on the same day, KGF - Chapter 1. What happened at the end of the run in North India was history. KGF - Chapter 2 became a blockbuster (thanks to the craze generated by the first part).”

 

He added, “When it comes to showcasing in the Hindi-speaking market, there obviously is dominance for Sikandar as it’s a Salman Khan film and Sajid Nadiadwala and A R Murugadoss are also associated with it. But you can never underestimate the audience’s ability to turn a hero into a zero and a zero into a hero.”

 

We have seen in the past how there have been fights for shows. This time, the distributors of both Sikandar and L2 Empuraan have decided to co-exist peacefully. Kiritbhai T Vaghasia, who runs The Friday Cinema multiplex in Surat, said, “There has been no pressure on us. We are free to play as many shows of L2 Empuraan as we desire.”

 

He also said, “I have allotted two screens to Sikandar from March 30. I’ll decide what to play in the third screen depending on the situation and how L2 Empuraan fares.” He added that though Malayalam films have never worked in his region, the sleeper hit Marco (2024) did find some takers.

 

 

But Taran Adarsh and Atul Mohan feel that Marco-type trending seems remote for L2 Empuraan. Akshaye Rathi said, “Lucifer was a huge hit and lots of people in North India consumed it through non-theatrical platforms and loved it. Hence, its sequel (has the potential). The fact that there are undercurrents about it is clearly indicated by the kind of advance booking its witnessing in Kerala. In fact, the film has one of the highest advances ever for an Indian film.”

 

Taran Adarsh added, “The kind of shows allotted to L2 Empuraan, it's business in Kerala is going to be unimaginable. It’ll be historic. It’s also praiseworthy how they have gone all out to promote all the versions of the film. The Telugu version will also take a good start.”

 

Meanwhile, trade is also bullish about Sikandar. Akshaye Rathi said, “The kind of advance L2 Empuraan has seen in the Gulf is unprecedented. From the advance, Sikandar also looks very encouraging and day 1 seems solid.”

 

The opening of both films will be great but that would not be enough. Taran Adarsh made it clear, “Be it Sikandar or L2 Empuraan, it’ll all boil down to content.”

 

Akshaye Rathi signed off by saying, “From Monday, it’s the merit of the film and content which will deliver. As an exhibitor, I am hoping both the films do incredibly well, not just Sikandar in the Hindi-speaking markets and L2 Empuraan in Kerala but I hope both excel across the country and the world.”

 

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