Idli Kadai 1st Day Box Office Collection: Dhanush’s Film Opens Strong In Tamil Nadu

Dhanush's latest outing Idli Kadai has kicked off its box office journey on a fairly solid note. The film, which released on Friday to mixed reviews from both critics and audiences, still managed to draw sizeable footfalls in key Tamil Nadu markets, ensuring that the Day 1 figures looked respectable despite stiff competition.

In Tamil Nadu, where Dhanush commands a loyal following, Idli Kadai registered encouraging occupancy trends throughout the day. The morning shows opened at a modest 25.82% occupancy, but the momentum picked up significantly as the day progressed. Afternoon shows rose to 47.71%, while evening screenings saw a further climb to 50.51%. The night shows gave the film its biggest push, recording a healthy 69.33% occupancy overall. This late surge across major centres ensured that the first-day earnings remained strong, as per Sacnilk data.

Chennai turned out to be the best-performing circuit with an impressive 64.75% average occupancy across 826 shows. The film had a slow start in the morning at 41%, but peaked at night with 85%, reflecting strong demand for evening screenings. Coimbatore and Trichy also put up notable numbers with 50.75% and 52.25% occupancies respectively, while Pondicherry emerged as another stronghold at 56.25%. Smaller centres like Dindigul exceeded expectations, hitting as high as 89% occupancy in the night shows, bringing its daily average to 66.25%.

On the other hand, the movie's reception outside Tamil Nadu was relatively mixed. Bengaluru clocked 28.25% occupancy across 464 shows, a decent turnout for a Tamil film but not remarkable. Kerala markets, especially Trivandrum (11%) and Kochi (17%), saw only limited traction, reflecting the film's restricted pull in Malayalam-speaking regions.

In Mumbai, the film averaged at 19.75%, while the National Capital Region surprisingly registered a decent 48.67%, though it was spread unevenly across shows.

As per Sacnilk, the movie is estimated to have collected ₹10.50 crore (net) at India box office on its opening day across all languages.

The film's collections now face a critical test with Kantara 2 arriving in a massive release across South Indian states. The Rishab Shetty-starrer has taken away a significant share of screens, and it remains to be seen how Idli Kadai will hold its ground over the weekend.

For now, Dhanush's star power and Tamil Nadu base have ensured a good start, but sustaining momentum beyond the first three days will determine whether the film can emerge as a commercial success or remain a one-weekend wonder.