The latest Malayalam fantasy extravaganza Lokah Chapter 1: Chandra, headlined by Kalyani Priyadarshan and Naslen, is scripting history. On Sunday, the film rolled out screenings across Kerala from as early as 6 am, a first for Malayalam cinema on the fourth day after release. The move, made in response to strong audience demand, highlights the frenzy surrounding the film, which is running to packed houses across the state and beyond.

Directed by Dominic Arun, Lokah Chapter 1: Chandra is the first instalment of a planned fantasy franchise. The film has received glowing responses from audiences, with social media buzzing and ticketing platforms reporting near sell-outs. The Telugu and Tamil dubbed versions too are trending, fuelling its march towards pan-India success.

Backed by Dulquer Salmaan under his Wayfarer Films banner, the project is drawing industry attention for its scale and ambition. Dulquer has been widely praised for trusting Arun’s vision and mounting the film on a big canvas despite the director being just one film old. His involvement also ensured that top distributors came on board: AGS Cinemas in Tamil Nadu, Lighter Buddha Films in Karnataka, Pen Marudhar in North India, and Sithara Entertainments in Telugu markets.

With more than 300 screens in Kerala showing the film and reports of house-full shows continuing, Lokah Chapter 1: Chandra looks well on course to establish itself as one of Malayalam cinema’s biggest box office successes in recent times.