The action thriller “Patriot,” directed by Mahesh Narayanan, features the much-anticipated reunion of Malayalam cinema icons Mammootty and Mohanlal, 18 years after their collaboration on “Twenty:20” (2008). However, the film’s performance at the domestic box office has not met expectations given the star power involved. On its fourth day, the film experienced a significant drop in revenue, declining by more than 47% compared to its previous day’s earnings.
According to trade analyst Sacnilk, “Patriot” generated only Rs 2.89 crore on Monday (day 4) from 1,781 screenings, a stark decrease from the Rs 5.50 crore collected on Sunday (day 3), which was from 2,229 shows. The film’s performance has been declining consistently since its opening, both in terms of revenue and the number of screens it is being shown on.
Sunday’s figures also reflected this trend, as the collection fell from Saturday’s (day 2) earnings of Rs 6.15 crore from 2,374 shows. This marked a significant drop from its opening day collection of Rs 10 crore from 2,636 screenings on Friday. After an opening weekend total of Rs 21.65 crore, the cumulative earnings only reached Rs 24.54 crore by Monday, indicating that “Patriot” has barely crossed the Rs 25 crore mark at the domestic box office thus far.
In contrast, the film’s international performance is somewhat more favorable. “Patriot” opened with Rs 16.50 crore overseas, which decreased to Rs 13 crore on Saturday, before wrapping up its international opening weekend with Rs 9 crore on Sunday. The total overseas collection for the opening weekend stands at Rs 38.50 crore, significantly surpassing the domestic earnings during the same period.
Although the international earnings for Monday have yet to be reported, it is anticipated that “Patriot” will experience a decline similar to its domestic results. Currently, the worldwide box office total for the film, after four days, is Rs 66.50 crore, excluding Monday’s overseas figures.
Interestingly, this scenario marks a rare instance where the international box office contributes significantly to a Malayalam film’s earnings, accounting for approximately 60% of the total. A considerable portion of this revenue can be attributed to the strong diaspora following of the two lead actors in North America, which alone generated over Rs 3 crore during the opening weekend.
The previous collaboration between Mammootty and Mohanlal, “Twenty:20,” achieved a worldwide box office total exceeding Rs 32 crore. “Patriot” is still approximately Rs 8 crore shy of surpassing that figure. While “Twenty:20″ opened with over Rs 1 crore—a record for Malayalam films at that time—”Patriot” had a much larger debut but has not sustained its momentum in theaters, unlike “Twenty:20,” which ran for 100 days in ten locations.
The plot of “Patriot” centers on Dr. Daniel James (played by Mammootty), a scientific advisor on a mission to unveil a significant surveillance conspiracy orchestrated by businessman Shakthi Sundaram (portrayed by Fahadh Faasil). He seeks the help of Colonel Rahim Naik (Mohanlal), a high-ranking operative and old friend. The film features a diverse cast, including Nayanthara, Revathy, Kunchacko Boban, Darshana Rajendran, and Rajiv Menon, among others.
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