2018 box office collection: Rs 4 cr on Sunday and Monday, hailed as the real Kerala story

Malayalam film ‘2018 – Everyone Is A Hero’ based on the flood that terrorised Kerala four years ago is headed towards becoming one of the highest grossers in the industry. On the opening day, the film saw a modest collection of around Rs 1.85 crores. But over the weekend, the film grossed over Rs 9 crores.

On Saturday, the film collected Rs 3.22 crores. On Sunday, it grossed Rs 4.1 crores which is expected for the weekend. However, the box office collection remained steady on Monday with Rs 4 crores which indicates strong word-of-mouth popularity. In just four days, the film has already grossed Rs 13.17 crores.

Experts think 2018 will gross over Rs 20 crores by the end of its first week. And the second week is expected to be better. Industry expert AB George tweeted that Kavitha Theatre in Ernakulam, Kerala’s biggest cinema hall, sold 13,671 tickets for 2018 in the past three days and minted a massive Rs 18.14 lakh.

People are also hailing the film as the "real Kerala story" after the Sudipto Sen directed 'The Kerala Story' showed promising box office collections. 2018 was coincidently released alongside The Kerala Story - a film critics and many in the public are calling a propaganda film aimed at demonising the state and its Muslim population.

"2018 is a moving reminder of the days when everyone in Kerala, irrespective of their religion, caste, or their political inclinations, came together to help people in distress. Its humanitarian message and the context of its release somehow elevates the import of this film," wrote The Hindu.

According to The Indian Express, the film based on the catastrophic flood is getting a warm response in Tamil Nadu as well. Multiplexes in Chennai are adding more shows of the movie hours after the Tamil Nadu Multiplex Association announced that 'The Kerala Story' will be banned. The dubbed Tamil version of 2018 is expected to be released in Tamil Nadu on May 12 or 19.