Athiradi, starring Tovino Thomas, Basil Joseph and Vineeth Sreenivasan, has opened to an impressive response at the box office, emerging as one of the strongest Malayalam film openings of 2026 so far. Released on May 14, the campus action entertainer appears to have struck a chord with younger audiences, translating its strong pre-release buzz into solid theatrical numbers across India and overseas markets.
According to trade tracker Sacnilk.com, the film collected ₹6.07 crore net in India on its first day, including ₹52 lakh earned through paid previews. The gross India collection is estimated to be around ₹7.04 crore. The film also performed strongly overseas, where it reportedly grossed ₹3.50 crore, taking its total worldwide opening-day collection to ₹10.54 crore.
Athiradi had generated considerable excitement ahead of release, particularly due to the pairing of Basil and Tovino, whose offscreen camaraderie became a major talking point during promotions. Advance bookings had already hinted at a promising start, with the film reportedly grossing close to ₹2.78 crore in pre-sales alone.
The film maintained steady momentum throughout the day with occupancy figures improving show by show. While the morning shows opened on a decent note, evening and night screenings witnessed a significant jump in footfalls, indicating positive word-of-mouth among younger viewers and family audiences.
Set against the backdrop of a college festival, Athiradi follows the clash between Basil's Samkutty and Tovino's Sreekuttan Vellayani, a reformed gangster portrayed. The film blends campus humour, action and emotional drama with a loud style that has seemingly connected well with theatre audiences.
Directed by debutant Arun Anirudhan, who previously co-wrote Minnal Murali and Padayottam, the film also stars Vishnu Agasthya, Zarin Shihab, Riya Shibu and Darshana Rajendran in key roles.
