The budget of the much-debated Mohanlal–Prithviraj film 'Empuraan' has been disclosed. During its promotion, the film’s budget sparked significant discussion due to its high production costs, and it was released as the most expensive Malayalam film ever made. The controversy surrounding the budget led to a clash between the producers' association and Antony Perumbavoor. The producers' association has now officially revealed that the production cost of 'Empuraan' is Rs 175 crore.

After the struggles of Malayalam cinema in January and February, the industry continued to face difficulties in March. According to the Kerala Film Producers Association, 14 out of the 15 films released in March failed to make a profit. The only exception was 'Empuraan', which managed to avoid losses.

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In the first five days, 'Empuraan' reportedly earned over Rs 24 crore in theatre shares from local theatres. Other films, such as 'Ouseppinte Osiyathu' with a production cost of Rs 4 crore, earned only Rs 45 lakh at the box office.

The Kerala Film Producers Association has released the budgets and collections for the 15 films that debuted in March. The total investment for these films was over Rs 194 crore, yet the total theatre share returned to the producers was just Rs 25.88 crore. Even low-budget films struggled to perform at the box office. For example, 'Parivar' with a budget of Rs 2.70 crore earned only Rs 26 lakh, and 'Vadakkan' with a production cost of Rs 3.65 crore earned Rs 20 lakh. 'Dasettante Cycle', which had a budget of Rs 70 lakh, earned just Rs 8 lakh. Out of the 15 films, 14 were major failures.

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Data on OTT and satellite collections is still awaited, but it remains uncertain how these films will perform on digital platforms. 'Empuraan', with its production cost of Rs 175 crore, earned Rs 24.65 crore from local theatres in the first five days.

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