Rajinikanth’s latest venture Vettaiyan was released in theatres worldwide on October 10th. The film was expecting a grand welcome thanks to the reunion of Rajinikanth and Amitabh Bacchan on the silver screen after 33 years since their last project together Hum. The film had a stellar cast of Fahadh Faasil, Rana Daggubati, Manju Warrier, Rithika Singh etc. which raised one’s expectations for the film.
Analysts had suggested a 100 crore+ opening for the film on its first day of the release. Many films that released in its proximity were expected to get impacted due to Vettaiyan. But surprisingly, the opening day did not turn out as expected for the film. it managed to collect only 70 crores globally out of which only 46 crores were made from domestic theatres. Out of the 46 crores, 22 crores were collected from theatres in Tamil Nadu and rest from other states. Those states also include the Southern states like Karnataka, Andhra Pradesh, Kerala etc. where the film had a better chance of succeeding.
The sub-par performance of Vettaiyan means the competition will get evened for the other films releasing at the same time. Films like Jigra, Martin and Vicky Vidya Ka Who Wala Video, that have a potential to become a pan-India film, will find an opportunity to shine in the theatres.
With Vettaiyan underperforming, one can say Martin has the potential to rise as the dominant film in the Southern theatres. But there is always a chance of the films making a comeback. If people find Vettaiyan good enough, the word-of-mouth promotion will increase the sales of the film. Also, the chance of audience retention will be created with the same. If that happens, Vettaiyan can far exceed its initial day collection.