It’s official - Lokah Chapter 1: Chandra has made history by becoming Malayalam cinema’s first INR 300 crore grosser worldwide. According to Sacnilk, the film has raked in a staggering INR 301.98 crore globally, marking a monumental moment for the industry. ‘Lokah Chapter 1: Chandra’ Movie Review: Kalyani Priyadarshan Powers Malayalam Cinema’s First Female Superhero Film With Naslen’s Solid Support.

Directed by Dominic Arun and produced by Dulquer Salmaan, the superhero drama marks the beginning of an ambitious cinematic universe in Indian cinema. Starring Kalyani Priyadarshan in the lead, the film also features Naslen, Sandy Master, Chandhu Salimkumar, Arun Kurien, Vijayaraghavan, and Sarath Sabha, with cameo appearances by Tovino Thomas and Dulquer Salmaan.

'Lokah Chapter 1: Chandra' - Box Office Glory Across the Board

Lokah Chapter 1: Chandra isn’t just a blockbuster - it’s a phenomenon. The film has officially overtaken L2: Empuraan to become Malayalam cinema’s highest-grossing film worldwide, Thudarum in Kerala, and even Manjummel Boys in India.

Interestingly, despite its record-breaking run, Chandra didn’t feature in the top 10 highest opening day grossers, though it secured the third-highest opening weekend spot - proving once again that strong word-of-mouth can outshine even the biggest openings. Did Rima Kallingal Claim Credit for Paving Way for ‘Lokah’ Box Office Success? Here’s What Happened!

The film also holds another impressive record: it is now the highest-grossing female-centric film from South India.

Malayalam Cinema’s Box Office Milestones

As Lokah Chapter 1: Chandra opens the INR 300 crore club, here’s a look back at the films that created milestone moments in Malayalam box office history - from INR 1 crore to INR 300 crore worldwide.

1. Ee Naadu (1982)

Ee Naadu

Milestone: First INR 1 crore grosser

Director: IV Sasi

Cast: Balan K Nair, Mammootty, Lalu Alex, Sreenivasan, TG Ravi

2. Kilukkam (1991)

A Still From Kilukkam

Milestone: First INR 5 crore grosser

Director: Priyadarshan

Cast: Mohanlal, Revathy, Thilakan, Jagathy Sreekumar, Sharat Saxena

3. The King (1995)

A Still From The King

Milestone: First INR 10 crore grosser

Director: Shaji Kailas

Cast: Mammootty, Vani Viswanath, Murali, Suresh Gopi

4. Hitler (1996)

Hitler

Milestone: First INR 15 crore grosser

Director: Siddique

Cast: Mammootty, Mukesh, Shobana, Vani Viswanath, Jagadeesh

5. Narasimham (2000)

A Still From Narasimham

Milestone: First INR 20 crore grosser

Director: Shaji Kailas

Cast: Mohanlal, Aishwarya, Thilakan, Kalabhavan Mani, Mammootty

6. Rajamanikyam (2005)

A Still From Rajamanikyam

Milestone: First INR 25 crore grosser

Director: Anwar Rasheed

Cast: Mammootty, Manoj K Jayan, Rahman, Padmapriya

7. Twenty:20 (2008)

A Still From Twenty:20

Milestone: First INR 30 crore grosser

Director: Joshiy

Cast: Mammootty, Mohanlal, Suresh Gopi, Dileep, Bhavana, Jayaram

8. Drishyam (2013)

A Still From Drishyam

Milestone: First INR 50 crore and INR 75 crore grosser

Director: Jeethu Joseph

Cast: Mohanlal, Meena, Asha Sarath, Siddique, Kalabhavan Shajon

9. Pulimurugan (2016)

Promotional Still of Pulimurugan

Milestone: First INR 100 crore and INR 125 crore grosser

Director: Vysakh

Cast: Mohanlal, Jagapathi Babu, Kamalinee Mukherjee, Lal

10. 2018 (2023)

Promotional Still of 2018

Milestone: First INR 150 crore and INR 175 crore grosser

Director: Jude Anthany Joseph

Cast: Tovino Thomas, Kunchacko Boban, Asif Ali, Narain, Vineeth Sreenivasan, Aparna Balamurali, Lal

11. Manjummel Boys (2024)

A Still From Manjummel Boys

Milestone: First INR 200 crore grosser

Director: Chidambaram

Cast: Soubin Shahir, Sreenath Bhasi, Deepak Parambol, Balu Varghese, Ganapathi S Poduval, Lal Jr

12. L2: Empuraan (2025)

A Still From L2: Empuraan

Milestone: First INR 250 crore grosser

Director: Prithviraj Sukumaran

Cast: Mohanlal, Prithviraj Sukumaran, Abhimanyu Singh, Tovino Thomas, Manju Warrier, Rick Yune, Indrajith Sukumaran

13. Lokah Chapter 1: Chandra (2025)

A Still From Lokah Chapter 1: Chandra

Milestone: First INR 275 crore and INR 300 crore grosser

Director: Dominic Arun

Cast: Kalyani Priyadarshan, Naslen, Sandy Master, Arun Kurien, Chandu Salim Kumar, Tovino Thomas, Dulquer Salmaan

What’s Next for Malayalam Cinema?

With Chandra creating the INR 300 crore milestone, the next big question is - who’s going to take it further?

Upcoming biggies like Patriot (starring Mammootty, Mohanlal, Kunchacko Boban, and Fahadh Faasil), Aadu 3 (Jayasurya), Bha Bha Ba (Dileep, Vineeth Sreenivasan, Dhyan Sreenivasan, Mohanlal), TikiTaka (Asif Ali, Naslen, Wamiqa Gabbi), Drishyam 3 (Mohanlal), and Kathanar: The Wild Sorcerer (Jayasurya) are already riding high on hype - and could well be the next to raise the bar for Mollywood’s box office. Not to mention, the future Lokah movies!

(The above story first appeared on LatestLY on Oct 14, 2025 05:46 PM IST. For more news and updates on politics, world, sports, entertainment and lifestyle, log on to our website latestly.com).