Bethlehem Kudumba Unit Box Office Collection Day 1: Nivin Pauly Scores His Biggest Opening Ever, 5th Best Of Mollywood In 2026

Bethlehem Kudumba Unit, starring Nivin Pauly and Mamitha Baiju, is off to a good start at the Indian box office, earning close to 5 crore.

- August 22, 2026 | 6:14 PM IST

Bethlehem Kudumba Unit Box Office Collection Day 1: Biggest Opening Ever For Nivin Pauly, Ranks 5th In Mollywood In 2026 ( Photo Credit – YouTube )

Bethlehem Kudumba Unit, starring Nivin Pauly and Mamitha Baiju, has started its run at the Indian box office on a good note. Released amid decent expectations, the film always had that initial momentum, but thanks to favorable word of mouth, it saw another significant boost. As a result, it managed to register Nivin’s biggest opening ever in the country, beating his 7-year-old film. Keep reading for a detailed collection report of day 1!

How much did Bethlehem Kudumba Unit earn at the Indian box office on day 1?

The Malayalam romantic comedy entertainer released in theaters yesterday (August 21). Due to the mixed reception to Prithviraj Sukumaran’s Khalifa and initial positive word-of-mouth, the film saw a good audience turnout, leading to an average occupancy of 58% throughout the day. Backed by such a solid occupancy, it scored 4.9 crore net at the Indian box office on day 1, which equals 5.78 crore gross.

Given positive audience reactions, the film is expected to fare very well over the weekend. Today (day 2) and tomorrow (day 3), it is expected to see a huge jump, and there’s a chance of touching the 20 crore net mark in the first weekend.

Registers the biggest opening for Nivin Pauly

With 4.9 crore, Bethlehem Kudumba Unit has registered the biggest opening ever for Nivin Pauly at the Indian box office. It surpassed Kayamkulam Kochunni, which had opened at 4.5 crore net (estimated) in 2018. So, after 7 years, the record opening of Kayamkulam Kochunni has been surpassed.

Records Mollywood’s 5th biggest opening of 2026

With a net collection of 4.9 crore, Bethlehem Kudumba Unit has recorded Mollywood’s 5th biggest opening of the year at the Indian box office. It surpassed Vaazha 2 (4.75 crore) to claim the 5th spot, and stayed behind Khalifa (5.35 crore).

Take a look at Mollywood’s top 10 openers of 2026 in India (net):