Kochi: The grand success of Mohanlal’s ‘Ravanaprabhu’ re-release has reignited excitement around bringing classic Malayalam films back to theatres. Riding on this wave, two more iconic films: ‘Twenty20’ and ‘Guru’, are currently undergoing 4K remastering, with one of them expected to hit screens later this year.

Industry insiders say the overwhelming response to Ravanaprabhu has inspired production houses and distributors to actively consider more theatrical re-releases of Malayalam cinema’s golden hits.

According to box office trackers, Ravanaprabhu collected an impressive ₹3.05 crore in its first six days of re-release, including a strong ₹70 lakh on  opening day. The film is the latest in a growing trend of nostalgic hits returning to the big screen and pulling in massive theatrical revenue.

In the past two years, nine Malayalam films have been re-released. Among these, titles like:

Devadoothan (earned ₹5.20 crore), Manichitrathazhu (earned ₹4.40 crore),

Chotta Mumbai (earned ₹3.40 crore), Spadikam (earned ₹3.10 crore), and

Oru Vadakkan Veeragatha (earned ₹1.50 crore) have been profitable at the box office, confirming the audience’s enthusiasm for digitally restored classics.

The company behind several of these successful re-releases is Matinee Now, known for its remastered versions of Manichitrathazhu, Valliettan, and Oru Vadakkan Veeragatha. The same company took up the re-release of Ravanaprabhu and is currently working on ‘Twenty20’ and ‘Guru’, both starring Mohanlal in iconic roles.

Speaking on the effort, Matinee Now founder Somadathan Pillai shared that all re-releases are carefully restored from original film prints into 4K quality, which involves considerable investment.

“Remastering an old film and preparing it for theatrical re-release costs close to ₹1 crore,” he said.

Industry analysts believe that this trend is only just beginning, and the demand for high-quality restorations of Malayalam cinema classics will continue to grow.