Bethlehem Kudumba Unit crosses Rs 3.3 billion, but producers won't get 'even half', says Fahadh Faasil

A Rs 300-crore-plus box office haul sounds like a windfall for the people who bankrolled the film. Fahadh Faasil, one of the producers behind Bethlehem Kudumba Unit, wants audiences to know it doesn't quite work that way.

In a conversation with Cue Studio, the Malayalam star addressed the Rs 332 crore gross (Rs 3.3 billion) that Girish AD's romantic comedy has amassed, pointing out that he and his fellow producers will see only a slice of it. "None of us will get even half of this Rs 300 crore that they are talking about. That is the gross collection," he said.

Where the money actually goes

The headline number is a gross figure, and a large portion is spoken for before any producer gets paid. Roughly half of a film's worldwide gross typically goes to international agents, exhibitors and distributors. Goods & Services Tax (GST) is then deducted, and only what is left reaches the producers.

In this case, that remainder flows to Bhavana Studios, the banner jointly owned by Fahadh, actor-filmmaker Dileesh Pothan and screenwriter Syam Pushkaran. Distribution was handled by Bhavana Release, Future RunUp Films and Mythri Movie Makers, the company best known for Allu Arjun's Telugu action franchise Pushpa.

Despite the reality check, Fahadh made clear he is thrilled. "The fact that Bethlehem has been a success is something that makes me very happy and proud. It is not just me. There is Girish, Shyam, and Dileesh. I see this as a collective success of all of us. I don't see it as my success alone," he said.

A record-breaking run

Led by Nivin Pauly and Mamitha Baiju, Bethlehem Kudumba Unit is now the highest-grossing Malayalam film worldwide. Its global tally of more than Rs 330 crore pushed it past last year's record holder, Lokah Chapter 1: Chandra, Dominic Arun's superhero film starring Kalyani Priyadarshan and produced by Dulquer Salmaan's Wayfarer Films, which collected about Rs 304 crore worldwide.

Girish AD co-wrote the film with Kiran Josey, and the ensemble also includes Suresh Krishna, Vinay Forrt and Shyam Mohan.

Week by week

The film arrived in theatres on August 21, opening on 1,507 screens in India with Rs 4.90 crore on day one. According to Sacnilk, it crossed Rs 20 crore over the opening weekend and Rs 50 crore by the end of week one. Week two held nearly steady at Rs 49.85 crore, taking the domestic total past Rs 100 crore, before week three brought in Rs 33.30 crore.

The decline steepened after that. Week four earnings fell by almost half to Rs 16.79 crore, and week five halved again to Rs 8.80 crore. After six weeks, the domestic total stood at more than Rs 190 crore gross and over Rs 160 crore net. The original Malayalam version accounted for the bulk of it, with the Tamil and Telugu dubs contributing roughly equal shares.

Overseas audiences also played a big role. The film earned around Rs 140 crore outside India, only about Rs 25 crore below its domestic net.