Antony Varghese Pepe's latest film Kattalan has opened on a strong note at the box office, collecting Rs 9.02 crore worldwide on its first day, according to figures shared by the makers on social media.

The action thriller grossed Rs 3.91 crore across India on its opening day, with Kerala accounting for the lion's share of the collections. The film earned Rs 3.47 crore gross from the state alone. The remaining Rs 5.11 crore came from overseas markets.

According to industry tracker Sacnilk.com, Kattalan registered an India net collection of Rs 3.40 crore from 3,358 shows nationwide. The Malayalam version emerged as the clear frontrunner, contributing Rs 2.85 crore net and recording an occupancy of around 48 per cent across 1,428 shows.

Among the dubbed versions, the Telugu release collected Rs 20 lakh, while the Hindi version earned Rs 28 lakh. The Tamil and Kannada versions contributed Rs 5 lakh and Rs 2 lakh, respectively.

Directed by debutant Paul George, Kattalan is an actioner revolving around the world of ivory smuggling. It is co-written by director Paul, Joby Varghese and Jero Jacob, while the dialogues are penned by Unni R. The ensemble cast includes Tamil actor Dushara Vijayan, making her Malayalam debut, alongside Sunil, Kabir Duhan Singh, Jagadish, Siddique, Anson Paul, Raj Tirandasu, Baby Jean, Hipster, Hanan Shaah, and Parth Tiwari, among others.

An excerpt from the CE review of the film reads, "Kattalan excels in the technical aspects throughout, more so in the initial portions. However, its overly familiar storyline keeps the film from realising its true potential."