Thug Life 1st Day Box Office Collection: Kamal Haasan's Film Off To A Good Start Despite Mixed Reviews

Kamal Haasan's much-anticipated gangster drama Thug Life, directed by Mani Ratnam, has finally hit screens worldwide-except in Karnataka, where the actor himself has withheld the release over his "Kannada born out of Tamil' controversy.

The movie, which is released in multiple languages, is off to a good start at the India box office. Tamil Nadu has, unsurprisingly, emerged as the film's stronghold, where it was released in over 800 screens with more than 3000 shows on Day 1.

In Chennai and Chengalpattu alone, Thug Life opened in 110 screens, clocking in over 1100 shows. In Coimbatore, the film debuted across 95 theatres, offering a total of 790 shows. Madurai, with 49 screens and 491 shows, while Pondicherry has 57 shows.

Advance Booking

While Thug Life was released in multiple languages-including Tamil, Telugu, and Hindi-only the Tamil version delivered a decent opening. The Hindi version, released across a staggering 4092 shows, collected a meager Rs 25 lakh, reflecting the limited audience traction in Hindi-speaking regions. The Telugu version, with 1800+ shows, fared slightly better but still modestly, bringing in Rs 53 lakh on its opening day.

Despite these mixed results, Thug Life amassed approximately Rs 5.2 crore in India from its Tamil version alone on Day 1. The film also secured Rs 6.6 crore in advance bookings across languages.

While the first day numbers in Tamil Nadu are encouraging-particularly in Chennai and Pondicherry-the lukewarm response in other states and languages may pose challenges to the film's long-term box office prospects. Early word-of-mouth suggests that while some fans appreciate the film's production values and Kamal Haasan's performance, the slow-paced narrative and lackluster music by AR Rahman could affect repeat viewership.

In summary, Thug Life has opened to a good start in its core Tamil Nadu market but has underperformed outside its home base, raising questions about its ability to sustain momentum in the coming days. The film's fate now rests on how well it can maintain its hold in Tamil Nadu while hoping for improved traction in other states.

In Tamil Nadu alone, the film was released in over 800 screens, generating considerable buzz. The movie had a staggering 3000+ shows on Day 1, reflecting high anticipation among audiences.

Chennai and Chengalpattu: The film opened in 110 screens, accounting for 1100+ shows.

Coimbatore: A solid 95 screens with 790 shows.

Madurai: The film played in 49 screens with 491 shows.

Dindigul: The Tamil film had 37 shows.

However, the collection of the movie has been affected as Thug Life has failed to release in Karnataka. The controversy over the actor's remarks on Kannada had angered the pro-Kannada groups which had sought an apology from him.

However, Kamal choose not to give an apology and decided not to release the film in Karnataka.