Now Reading: Khalifa sequel announced despite disastrous opening reviews
-
01
Khalifa sequel announced despite disastrous opening reviews
Khalifa: The Ruler, starring Prithviraj and directed by Vysakh, hit theatres on August 20 but has been met with poor audience reviews, with many calling it mediocre. The film was the actor's…
Khalifa: The Ruler, starring Prithviraj and directed by Vysakh, hit theatres on August 20 but has been met with poor audience reviews, with many calling it mediocre. The film was the actor's attempt to bounce back from consecutive flops Vilayath Buddha and I Nobody.
Despite the negative response, the makers held a grand event on Tuesday evening to announce the sequel, titled Khalifa: The Legacy, and released a first-look poster featuring Mohanlal alongside Prithviraj. Shooting for the second part is set to begin soon.
Social media trackers have labelled the sequel announcement a promotional strategy to boost interest in Khalifa amid weak box office performance. Some viewers also complained that the sequel reveal spoiled Mohanlal's cameo in the first film. Critics have questioned whether the makers will actually invest in a follow-up given the first film's reception.
Indian Opinion Analysis
Prithviraj, who rose to national fame as a pan-Indian star, has not had a solo theatrical hit since Driving License (2019). A sequel typically requires the first film to recover its production cost before a studio greenlights a follow-up. Khalifa: The Ruler's opening-day box office numbers are not yet public, but negative audience word-of-mouth on social media suggests weak collections. Malayalam cinema has recent precedent: the 2023 film RDX was announced as a franchise after its opening weekend success. The gamble here is whether Mohanlal's star power in the sequel poster can drive footfalls for the first part during its crucial second weekend. The next signal to watch is the week-one box office collection figure for Khalifa: The Ruler, which will determine whether the sequel budget is viable.
Source: m9.news
This story was synthesised by AI from the source linked above.
