Lalibazaar nears Rs. 80 million mark

By Santosh Subedi, Kaski, June 3: The Nepali film industry has made a promising start this year, with films released in the first two months performing well in the domestic market.

Films released around the New Year, including Ram Naam Satya and Paralko Aago, have been considered commercially successful, suggesting that the year 2083 has opened on a positive note for the Nepali film industry.

Three films, Lalibazaar, Malati Mangle and Guruama, were released on May 8. Among them, Lalibazaar has emerged as the top earner, grossing nearly Rs. 80 million by last Saturday.

According to figures published by the Film Development Board, Lalibazaar earned a gross collection of Rs. 79.03 million, with 269,202 people purchasing tickets to watch the film.

Following Lalibazaar, Paralko Aago recorded the second-highest earnings, grossing Rs. 42.78 million from the sale of 154,034 tickets.

The third-highest grossing film has been Mitajyu, which had earned Rs. 12.05 million by last Saturday, with 41,248 tickets sold.

Similarly, Malati Mangle grossed Rs. 17 million from the sale of 16,188 tickets. Released on May 22, Kaji earned Rs. 4.08 million by last Saturday, selling 13,007 tickets.

Likewise, Guruama, which was also released on May 8, grossed Rs 2.94 million by May 23, with 9,327 audiences purchasing tickets.

Meanwhile, Life Damage, starring Surakshya Panta and released on May 15 earned Rs. 3.32 million through the sale of 10,855 tickets.

Another film, Ek Mutthi Badal, released on the same date and starring Aanchal Sharma, collected Rs. 521,825 by May 23.

Overall, Nepali films currently in theatres have generated a combined gross collection of Rs. 146.46 million, reflecting a strong and encouraging start for the domestic film industry in the new year.