Share
Our Correspondent
Bengaluru, Jan. 12 (EMN): Vijay’s much-awaited Tamil movie “Varisu” had shockingly opened to a poor start, as it turned out to be his lowest opening in recent years.
The Tamil film was released worldwide on Wednesday. Unlike earlier Pongal releases, this flick did not attract the audience in big numbers, due to which the makers decided to cancel the special shows, according to industry insiders.
The trailer had failed to grab the attention of the audience although it garnered record views. Release on a weekday factor also backfired as Vijay’s flick failed to set the box office on fire on the first day.
As per the early estimates, “Varisu” earned around Rs 20 crore on the first day in Tamil Nadu.
“Sarkar”, which was released in 2019 remained Vijay's biggest opener to date as it earned Rs 31 crore on the first day. His previous film “Beast” collected Rs 26 crore on the opening day. Even “Master”, which was released soon after COVID-19 lockdown was lifted, had raked in Rs 24 crore.
Vijay's movies were known for setting new benchmarks at the box office till 2020.
However, industry insiders are hoping that the trend will change in the days to come as “Varisu” is a family drama. On the other hand, the Tamil Nadu government has granted permission to hold special shows till January 18.
The Kollywood movie witnessed a slow start outside Tamil Nadu as well, earning an estimate Rs 2.5 crore in Karnataka and Rs 2 crore in Kerala. However, the Telugu version is yet to be released, thus missing the opportunity for a good opening.
Meanwhile, “Varisu” box office collection from across India is about Rs 27 crore and about Rs 6 crore from overseas centres, taking the estimated wordwide box office collection at Rs 33 crore.
Produced by Dil Raju and directed by Vamshi Paidipally, “Varisu” has Rashmika Mandanna in the female lead. It clashed with Ajith Kumar's “Thunivu” in the theatres.