Kerala box office: Jayasurya's 'Pretham' enters Rs. 10 crore club

Malayalam actor Jayasurya's latest horror comedy entertainer, "Pretham," has entered the Rs. 10 crore club after completing theatrical run of over two weeks at the box office in Kerala. The Ranjith Sankar-directed film has become another solo superhit of the versatile actor, after the movies, "Su Su Sudhi Vathmeekam" and "Punyalan Agarbathis," among others.

According to trade analysts, "Pretham" has earned a gross collection of approximately Rs. 10.27 crore within 17 days of hitting the screens in Kerala, with a net collection of Rs. 8.24 crore and more than Rs. 5.05 crore share. After receiving tremendous response from the audience, the comedy entertainer, which also stars Aju Varghese, Sharafudheen and Govind Padmasoorya, entered its third week in more than 80 screens at the Kerala box office.

Jayasurya's 'Pretham' movie review: More humour than horror

"Pretham" is expected to continue its good run until Wednesday, when it might be affected with the release of Mohanlal's highly-anticipated bilingual action entertainer, "Janatha Garage," which is scheduled to hit the screens on Thursday, Sept. 1. The Koratala Siva-directorial venture, which will be distributed in Kerala by the superstar, is expected to be released in more than 200 screens on its opening day itself. This clearly indicates a reduction in the screen count of "Pretham."

Meanwhile, Ranjith had recently announced that "Pretham" will hit the screens in Singapore on Sept. 2 and in the U.K, the U.S and other overseas territories as an Onam release.

In "Pretham," Jayasurya plays the role of a mentalist named John Don Bosco, who is on a mission to find the truth behind the paranormal activities that happen in a sea-side resort owned by Denny Kokken, Priyalal and Shibu. The film has been getting positive response from the critics and audience alike for being more of a comedy entertainer than a horror thriller, moving away from the stereotypical ghost movies usually made in Malayalam.