I'm Game box office collection: Dulquer Salmaan's Malayalam movie opens on decent note, earns Rs 5 crore

Dulquer Salmaan is back in Malayalam cinema, and his latest outing has made a steady start at the box office. I’m Game, an action-fantasy thriller directed by Nahas Hidhayath, opened in theatres on September 3. While the film had received considerable interest among Dulquer’s fans, the initial reactions on social media have been mixed. However, the early box office numbers suggest that the movie has managed to attract a sizeable audience on its opening day.

I'm Game box office collection day 1

The film has reportedly collected around Rs 5 crore in India net so far, according to the latest figures cited from Sacnilk and Track Tollywood. It has been released in Malayalam, Tamil, Telugu and Hindi, giving the Dulquer-starrer a wider theatrical reach. With more shows expected to be tracked as the day progresses, the final Day 1 collection could change.

I’m Game was initially expected to arrive during the Onam season. The film was supposed to join the festive box office competition alongside releases such as Prithviraj Sukumaran’s Khalifa and Bethlehem Kudumba Unit. However, its release was eventually pushed, and the movie reached theatres on September 3.


The delay did not appear to affect the curiosity around the project. The film marks Dulquer Salmaan’s return to Malayalam cinema after King of Kotha, which was released in 2023. His comeback has been one of the major talking points surrounding the film, particularly among Malayalam movie audiences.

According to the tracked figures, I’m Game was running across 2,425 shows in 847 theatres across 358 cities on its opening day. Around 230,956 tickets had been sold, resulting in an overall occupancy of 35.9%.

The numbers indicate a fairly healthy start, although the film will need to maintain its momentum over the next few days to turn the opening into a stronger theatrical run.

Evening shows perform better

The film saw its strongest contribution from evening screenings. These shows generated around Rs 1.47 crore from 81,834 tickets across 806 shows. The occupancy for the evening shows stood at 40.9%.

Night screenings also recorded a solid response, with around Rs 88.85 lakh coming from 55,407 tickets across 467 shows. The occupancy during these shows was higher at 42.1%.

The performance of evening and night shows is particularly important for a film released on a weekday, as audience turnout can increase during the later part of the day. With the first weekend now approaching, I’m Game will be looking to convert the interest into higher footfalls.

Not surprisingly, the Malayalam version is driving most of the film’s theatrical business. It has contributed around Rs 3.41 crore to the tracked gross, accounting for approximately 86.5% of the total tracked collection.

The Malayalam version recorded 43.3% occupancy across 1,803 shows. The numbers underline the importance of the home market for the Dulquer-starrer.

The Telugu version, meanwhile, collected around Rs 48.96 lakh with 19.6% occupancy. The Hindi version earned approximately Rs 4.41 lakh, recording 18.5% occupancy. The Tamil version collected around Rs 6,230 from four shows, with occupancy at 3.5%.

While the dubbed versions have contributed smaller amounts compared with the Malayalam release, their presence gives the movie an opportunity to reach audiences beyond Kerala.

Dulquer Salmaan leads the cast

Directed by Nahas Hidhayath, I’m Game is positioned as an action-fantasy thriller and features Dulquer Salmaan in the lead role. The cast also includes Kayadu Lohar, Mysskin, Antony Varghese, Samyuktha Viswanathan, Kathir, Vinay Forrt and Parth Tiwari.

The film is produced by Wayfarer Films and has been released across four languages. Its genre, large-scale action elements and Dulquer’s presence were among the factors that helped build anticipation ahead of the theatrical release.

The first-day response, meanwhile, has been mixed on X, formerly known as Twitter. Some viewers have praised the performances and scale, while others have expressed reservations about the story and execution.

The opening gives I’m Game a reasonable starting point, but the bigger test begins now. With Saturday and Sunday expected to bring more moviegoers to theatres, the film will need strong word of mouth to post a significant jump. Stay tuned to see.