Malayalam cinema is witnessing another big box office clash this year, with two highly anticipated films—Bazooka, starring Mammootty, and Alappuzha Gymkhana, directed by Khalid Rahman—releasing on April 10. While Mammootty’s Bazooka arrived with a lot of hype due to the superstar’s presence, it was Alappuzha Gymkhana that took an early lead in ticket pre-sales, winning the initial round of the box office battle.
Mammootty’s Bazooka Sees Strong Pre-Sales, But Falls Short
Despite being backed by Mammootty’s massive fan following, Bazooka couldn’t beat the pre-release ticket sales of Turbo, another Mammootty starrer that had created a buzz earlier. Turbo had an impressive 161,000 ticket sales on BookMyShow (BMS), one of the best for a Malayalam movie in recent times.
However, Bazooka did manage to perform better than Mammootty’s previous release, Dominic And The Ladies’ Purse, which sold only 19,000 tickets in advance on BMS. Bazooka saw a massive 242% jump over that film, with 65,000 tickets sold in pre-sales.
Alappuzha Gymkhana Surpasses Expectations
On the other hand, Khalid Rahman’s Alappuzha Gymkhana, starring Naslen, Lukman Avaran, and Ganapathi S. Poduval, pulled off a surprise win in terms of pre-release numbers. The film sold 74,000 tickets in advance on BMS—about 13% more than Bazooka. This gave the film a strong start and a clear edge over Mammootty’s movie on opening day.
What makes this even more impressive is that Alappuzha Gymkhana now holds the record for the second-highest pre-sales for a Malayalam film in 2025, just behind L2: Empuraan. Bazooka, meanwhile, has taken the third spot on the list.
Top 10 Malayalam Movie Pre-Sales on BMS (2024–2025)
Here’s a look at the top 10 Malayalam films with the highest ticket pre-sales on BookMyShow during the 2024–2025 period:
- L2: Empuraan – 1.33 million tickets
- Aadujeevitham: The GOAT Life – 309K tickets
- Malaikottai Vaaliban – 204K tickets
- Turbo – 161K tickets
- Aavesham – 104K tickets
- Marco – 103K tickets
- Manjummel Boys – 84K tickets
- Alappuzha Gymkhana – 74K tickets
- Bazooka – 65K tickets
- Barroz 3D – 64K tickets
What’s Next?
Although Bazooka couldn’t beat Alappuzha Gymkhana in advance bookings, it’s too early to predict the overall box office winner. Mammootty’s star power could help push numbers in the coming days, especially with strong word-of-mouth. Meanwhile, Alappuzha Gymkhana will look to hold its ground with a fresh cast and promising storyline.
As the weekend progresses, it will be interesting to see which film wins the hearts of the audience and emerges as the real box office winner.
For more such updates, stay tuned to DNA Bollywood!
