Nivin Pauly-starrer Bethlehem Kudumba Unit has emerged as one of the biggest box-office success stories of the year. According to industry trade tracker Sacnilk, the Malayalam film has grossed Rs 322.81 crore worldwide in 32 days. As the film crossed the Rs 300-crore mark worldwide, Nivin Pauly exclusively spoke to SCREEN and thanked the audience and the team behind the film.

Nivin Pauly on the Rs 300-crore milestone

Nivin, who plays the central character Justin in the film, shared, “Behind every crore is a ticket, a family, a group of friends, someone who chose to spend a few hours with our film. That makes this Rs 300+ crore milestone incredibly special to me. Thank you for watching, laughing, feeling and celebrating with us. And a big thank you to the entire team who made it happen. This one is yours as much as it is ours.”

Produced by Fahadh Faasil, Dileesh Pothan and Syam Pushkaran, Bethlehem Kudumba Unit is now just Rs 1.78 crore away from matching Thalapathy Vijay’s Jana Nayagan, which has a reported lifetime worldwide collection of Rs 324.59 crore.

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The comparison becomes more interesting when the opening-day numbers are put side by side. Jana Nayagan opened with Rs 42.70 crore India net, while Bethlehem Kudumba Unit started its theatrical run with Rs 4.90 crore India net. Despite the big difference in their openings, the Nivin Pauly and Mamitha Baiju-starrer has slowly closed the gap with its steady run in theatres and strong overseas business.

Bethlehem Kudumba Unit vs Jana Nayagan: Box office comparison

• Day 1 India net: Bethlehem Kudumba Unit – Rs 4.90 crore | Jana Nayagan – Rs 42.70 crore
• India gross: Bethlehem Kudumba Unit – Rs 185.61 crore | Jana Nayagan – Rs 231.09 crore
• Overseas gross: Bethlehem Kudumba Unit – Rs 137.20 crore | Jana Nayagan – Rs 93.50 crore
• Worldwide gross: Bethlehem Kudumba Unit – Rs 322.81 crore | Jana Nayagan – Rs 324.59 crore

Jana Nayagan has a higher India gross, but Bethlehem Kudumba Unit has earned more from overseas. While Jana Nayagan is ahead by Rs 45.48 crore in India, Bethlehem Kudumba Unit has collected around Rs 43.70 crore more overseas. This has brought the two films almost neck and neck at the worldwide box office. Jana Nayagan is currently ahead by just Rs 1.78 crore.

Bethlehem Kudumba Unit  vs other big South films

Bethlehem Kudumba Unit’s box-office journey becomes more interesting when compared with some of the biggest South Indian releases. The film opened with just Rs 4.90 crore India net, a number far lower than the opening-day collections of films such as Toxic (2026), KGF: Chapter 2 (2022) and Pushpa 2 (2024).

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Yash-starrer Toxic opened with Rs 101.10 crore India net, while KGF: Chapter 2 and Pushpa 2 had opening-day collections of Rs 116 crore and Rs 144 crore, respectively. Both KGF: Chapter 2 and Pushpa 2 eventually crossed the Rs 1,000-crore mark worldwide.

Even Salaar, which released in 2023, opened much bigger than Bethlehem Kudumba Unit, with Rs 90.70 crore India net on Day 1. Rajinikanth’s Jailer (2023) also opened at Rs 48.35 crore India net and went on to collect around Rs 604.50 crore worldwide.

But Bethlehem Kudumba Unit has followed a very different path. Despite starting at just Rs 4.90 crore in India, the film has now reached Rs 322.81 crore worldwide. Its collections have been driven by a steady run in theatres. That is what makes its current box-office milestone notable.