Mohanlal's much awaited magnum opus Marakkar Arabikadalinte Simham has entered the 100 crore club even before its release. The movie gained Rs 100 crores through just reservations. Pre-bookings had started on the day when release of 'Marakkar’ was announced. “The first Indian movie to enter the 100 crore club worldwide through reservations alone,” read a statement on the poster shared by Mohanlal on Twitter.
Producer Antony Perumbavoor held on to a theatrical release for the film, as opposed to releasing it on streaming. Earlier, Antony had claimed that he was considering giving the film a direct-to-OTT release as the environment at the box office was not conducive to protecting his financial interests. Apart from Mohanlal, the film’s star-studded cast includes Arjun Sarja, Suniel Shetty, Prabhudheva, Prabhu, Manju Warrier, Keerthy Suresh, Pranav, Kalyani Priyadarshan, among others. Mohanlal's Marakkar: Arabikadalinte Simham was supposed to release in 2020. Due to the novel coronavirus pandemic, the film's release date was postponed multiple times. The film, directed by Priyadarshan, was made on a huge budget of Rs 100 crore. Set in the 16th century, the film follows the story of Kunjali Marakkar IV, the naval commander of the ruler of Kozhikode. He is known to the world as the Zamorin. The film won three National Film Awards under the categories: Best Feature Film, Best Special Effects and Best Costume.