The box office collection for director Chidambaram's film Balan: The Boy continues to grow. According to box office tracker Sacnilk, it earned a gross collection of 4.83 crore from theatres worldwide over the first two days of release and a net collection of 4.17 crore. The tracker reports that the film earned a net collection of 1.74 crore on Friday, the release date, and 2.27 crore on Saturday. It is yet to share a Balan: The Boy box office collection report for Sunday. The film has received positive reviews from both audiences and critics alike, which appears to be the factor driving up the collection.
The film tells the story of a boy (Adhisheshan) and his mother (Farzana Palathingal), who confront their past secrets as they go on a quest for truth and redemption. It also has actors Muhammed Zinaan, Dolly June, Jean Paul Lal, Beena Antony, Tovino Thomas, Premalu fame filmmaker Girish AD, and so on.
Balan marks the third film in Chidambaram's career. He made his directorial debut with 2021's Jan E Man, featuring actors Basil Joseph, Lal, Arjun Ashokan, Balu Varghese, Ganapathi S Poduval, Sajin Gopu, and Sarath Sabha, among others. The filmmaker followed it up Manjummel Boys, which went on to become a massive hit at the box office.
In our Cinema Express review, Vignesh Madhu wrote, "Balan is essentially an intense emotional drama disguised as a gripping thriller, particularly in its first half. While it loses some momentum with the introduction of new characters after the interval, stretching a little too long in those spaces, the narrative eventually regains its footing and culminates in a rewarding finale..." The review further added, "As evident from Jan.E.Man and Manjummel Boys, Chidambaram has an exceptional ability to bring out the best in his actors, and Balan only reinforces that strength."
With Balan, critics say that Chidambaram has scored a hat-trick, after the commercial successes of the two films he made before. In the meantime, Chidambaram played an important role in Oru Durooha Saahacharyathil, directed by Ratheesh Balakrishnan Poduval and co-starring Kunchacko Boban, Dileesh Pothan, and Sajin Gopu, among others.