It has been over two years since Tamil superstar Suriya had a solo release. Since his 2022 film Etharkum Thuninthavan, Suriya only featured with others. He did receive such huge acclaim for his role of Rolex in Kamal Haasan’s Vikram. With Kanguva, Suriya returns to mainstream cinema, and fans expect the film to do well. This report discusses expectations, promotions, and preliminary predictions about Kanguva’s opening day box office collections. Also read: Kanguva Review: A Visually Rich Epic That Can’t Deliver Emotionally
From OTT Hits to Box Office Glory: Suriya's Path to Kanguva
Before Etharkum Thuninthavan, Suriya has delivered two back-to-back critically acclaimed films—Jai Bhim and Soorarai Pottru. Both the films received rave reviews and have won many awards. Soorarai Pottru has bagged five National Film Awards, and in the Google India search list of 2021, Jai Bhim emerged as the most searched film. Sadly, the coronavirus lockdown didn’t allow the screens of these films to see the day of its release. This makes Kanguva an important film in Suriya’s career as it represents the return of Suriya to the big screen.
The Pressure Is On: Why Kanguva Matters for Suriya Fans
After two years, Suriya’s fans haven’t seen the theaters celebrate the success of any of his movie. For this generation of Suriya fans, Kanguva’s victory holds a lot of significance. The producers of Kanguva have been making tall claims about the movie, set for release on November 14. The eyes are trained on the film as a sure-shot box office money-spinner, and trade experts were analyzing how Kanguva would fare on opening day across the globe. Also read: Vikrant Massey Faces Death Threats Amid ‘The Sabarmati Report’ Release Controversy
Hype vs. Reality: Navigating Kanguva’s Pre-Release Challenges
While the word of mouth was already on high during the shooting period of Kanguva, there was a drop in the buzz around the release. Several financial troubles and legal cases against the producer delayed the pre-booking for the film. In October, producer Gnanavel Raja announced that the film would collect Rs 2000 crore, which became a talking point on social media. However, experts in the trade are skeptical of such tall claims. Ramesh Bala, a film trade analyst in Chennai, said, “They are saying Rs 1000 crore, but I don’t think the film will collect so much. Booking for the film is not good due to the delay.” Also read: Hera Pheri 3: Akshay, Paresh, and Suniel Set the Stage for an Epic Return!
Suriya's Box Office High: How Kanguva Aims to Raise the Bar
Kanguva is expected to gross Rs 20 crore in Tamil Nadu on Day 1, with the worldwide first-day collection estimated to be around Rs 75 crore. These numbers are not up to those of recent hits like Sivakarthikeyan’s Amaran and Rajinikanth’s Vettaiyan. Kanguva is instead expected to become the biggest opener for Suriya. “There is no doubt about that. Kanguva will be his career-best to date,” he added.
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The film has been well promoted in the Telugu region, which is one of Suriya’s strong zones beyond Tamil Nadu. Trade expert Deepak from Hyderabad feels that the film will do better than Sivakarthikeyan’s Amaran in Andhra Pradesh. “Kanguva’s promotion is high here, so naturally, it will do well”. However, if it had been a solo release, the collection would have been more. The local release of Matka and Hollywood film Gladiator II may affect the screen count of Kanguva. “Amaran is still going strong and will not be removed from theatres. Hence, there will be fewer screens for Kanguva. The hype is there, but I don’t think the makers will be happy with the numbers.”
Impact of Reviews
Ramesh Bala further adds that the craze for Kanguva is not up to the mark as the makers would have hoped. “It is okayish for now. People may wait for the reviews. If the response is good, the film will see more footfalls. There’s a chance that the weekend collection of Kanguva might turn out to be more than the first-day collection. “
The Trend of Pan-Indian Cinema
Unless a film does well in Hindi, we cannot say it is a Pan-Indian hit. Our Tamil films were never that, be it Leo or Jailer or even Amaran. There is hype for Pushpa 2, and it might be there for SS Rajamouli’s next film with Mahesh Babu,” Ramesh added, asked if the trend of Pan-Indian cinema has come to an end. Apart from these superstars, I think only the sequels will garner that hype if their first parts turn out to be blockbusters.”
Director's Vision
Kanguva, directed by Siva marks the Tamil debut of Disha Patani and Bobby Deol. Featuring in two timelines, Kanguva so far happens to be Suriya’s biggest venture wherein he has featured in two different avatars. It is said to have Karthi in a cameo, and the music will be composed by Devi Sri Prasad. His previous film, Annaatthe (2021) with Rajinikanth, went strictly downhill on the box office. So, for Siva, Kanguva is an extremely special film.
Special Screenings and Pre-Release Sales
The Tamil Nadu government has cleared extra shows for Kanguva. In fact, they have now accommodated a special 9 am show and another fifth show that closes by 2 am. Kanguva’s advance booking has also been very healthy. The film could collect Rs 7.39 crore in India till Wednesday at 8 pm. Both the Tamil 3D and 2D versions have collected good box office money from tickets sold. That would translate into an encouraging reaction among the viewers.
Kanguva is going to be a big film for Suriya; and the market, as such, expects an excellent opening. Promotion and pre-booking also experienced some minor setbacks, but it is expected to be the biggest opener in his career so far. Now, with fans eagerly waiting to catch this film on screen, the industry will be watching Kanguva to know whether it is the one that does something better than they expect. Directed by Siva and starring a great cast, Kanguva is to be the grand epic fantasy actioner that will attract much attention at the global level.
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