The Kerala Story 2 — Goes Beyond witnessed a jump in collections on Saturday after a muted opening at the Indian box office on Friday.
The film, which received clearance for release only in the afternoon on February 27, had earned Rs 0.75 crore nett on Friday, as per industry data-tracking portal Sacnilk. It showed solid growth on its second day, which can technically be called its first full day in theatres.
Directed by Kamakhya Narayan Singh, the movie earned over Rs. 4.60 crore nett on Day 2. The two-day total collection of the film in India stands at Rs 5.35 crore nett.
Produced by Vipul Shah, The Kerala Story 2 — Goes Beyond stars Ulka Gupta, Aditi Bhatia, Aishwarya Ojha, Sumit Gahlawat and Arjan Singh Aujla in key roles.
The film was mired in controversy before release. On Thursday afternoon, Justice Bechu Kurian Thomas had halted the film’s release for 15 days and questioned the Central Board of Film Certification’s U/A rating following the intervention of petitioners Sreedev Namboodiri, a biologist from Kannur, and Freddy V. Francis, a vlogger from Ernakulam.
However, a division bench of Justices Sushrut Arvind Dharmadhikari and P.V. Balakrishnan revoked the 15-day interim stay.
The Kerala Story 2 opened to a muted response in Kerala, with multiple multiplexes pulling scheduled screenings on Saturday after drawing thin crowds and weak advance bookings.
Meanwhile, activists of the Democratic Youth Federation of India (DYFI) gathered outside cinemas that went ahead with screenings, accusing the film of casting the state in a negative light. The demonstrations disrupted operations and prompted theatres in Kochi, Kozhikode and Kottayam to cancel several shows.
