As the box office collections of Kabali continue to be debated, the film’s star Rajinikanth returned to Chennai from U.S. on Sunday, welcomed by cheering fans who crowded the airport for a glimpse of the 65-year-old actor. Although the film did not open on a festive weekend, certain offices in Chennai and Bengaluru declared Friday a holiday because staff had en masse called in sick to catch a first-day show of their matinee idol’s latest release. The movie has grossed over Rs 40 crore, breaking all the existing records in India.
Advertisement
The Tamil film’s opening weekend earnings are about Rs.70 crore less than recent Hindi blockbuster Sultan. Fans across the globe flocked to theatres to watch his movie and the proof is in the weekend box office report. That said, a lot more was expected from Kabali considering the hype and hoopla surrounding it, as well as the fact that the legend of Rajinikanth has been kept alive all-India via social media. It was released in Tamil language and dubbed in Hindi, Telugu, Malayalam and other Indian languages.
“The film was always expected to be rock solid and strong in traditional markets which include the southern states of Tamil Nadu, Karnataka, Telangana, Andhra Pradesh and Kerala and it has lived up to that”, said Kamal Gianchandani, chief executive officer, PVR Pictures.
It took 200 crores at the box office in just 3 days with over 110 crores in India.. In Malaysia, Kabali will be shown in 300 screens and a similar number of screens in Indonesia and Japan.
In this extended flashback and throughout Kabali’s adventures fighting the many-tentacled Gang 43, Ranjith’s camera is nearly constantly in motion or doing something ambitious, keeping the film’s energy and intrigue high. But due to favorable word of mouth, Madaari managed to register decent business on domestic box office. The actor has been left delighted after he witnessed his fans cheering up with the arrival of Superstar.
It took the rest overseas, collecting 23 crores in USA-Canada itself.
Advertisement
There was also an 18-second scene in which a gangster named Jeeva, one of Kabali’s right-hand men, is murdered in a brutal manner by rival members allied to the main villain Tony Lee (played by Taiwanese actor Winston Chao).
