Director Chidambaram's latest film Balan: The Boy has opened in theatres to rave reviews from both critics and audiences alike. The positive word of mouth appears to be having an effect on the box office performance of the film. According to the industry tracker Sacnilk, it earned a gross collection of 2.10 crore from theatres worldwide on Friday and a net collection of 1.82 crore. Notably, the tracker is yet to reveal Balan: The box office collection details for Saturday.

Balan tells the story of a woman and her son who are forced to confront the details of their past that they have been keeping a secret for a long time. The film stars Adhisheshan as the titular boy and Farzana Palathingal as his mother. The cast includes Muhammed Zinaan, Dolly June, Jean Paul Lal, Beena Antony, Tovino Thomas, and Premalu fame filmmaker Girish AD, among others.

Balan is Chidambaram's third directorial venture. The filmmaker made his directorial debut with Jan E Man, starring Basil Joseph, Lal, Arjun Ashokan, Balu Varghese, Ganapathi S Poduval, Sajin Gopu, and Sarath Sabha, among others. Jan E Man proved a critical and commercial success. Chidambaram backed it up with the blockbuster Manjummel Boys, the survival thriller based on the titular boys from Kochi.

Manjummel Boys became the first Malayalam film to gross 200 crore at the worldwide box office. It remained an industry hit for a while before L2: Empuraan toppled it as the highest-grossing Malayalam film, only for Lokah: Chapter 1 - Chandra to claim the record.

Balan: The Boy reviews say that the film marks a 'hat-trick' for Chidambaram, following the successes of his earlier two films. It is worth noting that the director also starred in director Ratheesh Balakrishnan Poduval's Oru Durooha Saahacharyathil, alongside Kunchacko Boban, Dileesh Pothan, and Sajin Gopu, among others.