Staying true to all the hype and expectations, L2: Empuraan has become the highest-grossing film in Malayalam cinema history. The makers announced it with a social media post calling it "the new industry benchmark." The Mohanlal-starrer has surpassed the gross figures of last year's Manjummel Boys to achieve this feat. Thanking the audience for the support, they added, "This moment belongs not just to us but to every heartbeat that echoed in theatres, to every cheer, every tear, to you."
Empuraan, the second instalment in the Lucifer franchise, saw Prithviraj Sukumaran returning as the director and Murali Gopy as the writer. The film had a massive worldwide release on March 27, which included record-breaking screen counts in many international territories. Though it opened to mixed reviews from the critics, the first couple of days saw fans of Mohanlal and the franchise thronging theatres in large numbers. But soon after that, the film was caught in a major controversy when Sangh Parivar came out strongly alleging a negative portrayal of Hindus. The issue soon caught nationwide attention leading to debates in Lok Sabha.
Eventually amidst all the boycott calls from right-wing groups, the makers decided to recensor the film after making 24 cuts to the original version. Mohanlal also issued a statement regretting the distress caused by the film to a section of the audience. However, in hindsight, it seems that all the negative talk and controversies have only fuelled the film, raising curiosity among the audience to watch it.