The success of big films at the box office is often linked to their huge budgets and the popularity of the stars, but Malayalam cinema film ‘Bethlehem Kudumba Unit’ has proved that a good story and connect with the audience can make a film a big success. This romantic comedy from director Girish Eddy stars Nivin Pauly and Mamita Baiju in the lead roles. Made with a budget of just Rs 25 crore, this film has earned more than Rs 330 crore worldwide. With this, the film has secured the first position in the list of highest grossing films of Malayalam cinema. Due to low cost and excellent earnings, this film has now become a big topic of discussion in the industry.
Budget of 25 crores, earning more than 330 crores worldwide
The biggest feature of ‘Bethlehem Kudumba Unit’ is the difference between its earnings and budget. According to data from industry tracker Sacanilc, the film’s worldwide collection reached Rs 330.93 crore. This includes earnings of Rs 192.48 crore from India and Rs 138.45 crore from foreign markets. The film’s net collection in India is reported to be Rs 164.91 crore. Director Girish Eddy recently revealed the budget of the film in a conversation with Club FM. He told that about Rs 25 crores were spent in making it. Thus, the film recorded a global box office collection of more than 13 times its initial budget. However, total box office takings and actual profits made by producers vary, as they also include theatre’s share, distribution and other expenses.
Small film overshadows big budget films
Girish Eddy believes that the budget parameters in the Malayalam film industry have changed with time. He said in the conversation that his films till now cannot be called big budget films. Earlier, even a budget of Rs 10 crore was considered quite big in Malayalam cinema, but now it is becoming normal. According to the director, the budget of ‘Bethlehem Kudumba Unit’ was around Rs 25 crore, but it cannot be called a very big film. He also told that he is slowly progressing in his career and does not plan to make any big budget film suddenly. If such a project is made in future, it should be with a superstar. The success of the film has come at a time when many big budget films are not getting the expected results at the box office. In such a situation, this film shows how important it is to understand the audience’s preferences and present a strong story.
‘Lokah’ and ‘Empuran’ were also left behind
‘Bethlehem Kudumba Unit’ has left behind many big films in the list of highest grossing films of Malayalam cinema. At second place in this list is Dominic Arun’s ‘Lokah Chapter 1: Chandra’, which had Kalyani Priyadarshan in the lead role. Released in the year 2025, this film earned Rs 301.41 crore worldwide against the budget of around Rs 30 crore. Whereas Mohanlal starrer ‘L2: Empuraan’, directed by Prithviraj Sukumaran, made a worldwide collection of Rs 266.81 crore on a budget of around Rs 175 crore. The famous film ‘Manjummel Boys’ of the year 2024 had earned Rs 241.03 crore with a budget of about Rs 20 crore. Apart from this, Mohanlal’s ‘Drishyam 3’ collected Rs 239.83 crore worldwide. However, the official budget of ‘Drishyam 3’ has not been revealed.
Fahadh Faasil told, how much do producers get?
Amidst the great earnings of the film, its co-producer and actor Fahadh Faasil has said something important about the box office collection. In a conversation with Q Studio, he said that the worldwide earning figure of Rs 300 crore does not mean that this much amount reaches the producers. According to Fahadh, no producer associated with the film will get even half of this total gross collection. Actually, gross collection includes the amount received from the total sale of tickets, whereas the amount received by the producers after taking out the share of theaters, distributors and other stakeholders is different.
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SK Sharma is a content writer who writes on news, entertainment, and lifestyle topics. She has over four years of experience and is known for conveying information in simple and clear language.
