Vijay’s Beast Box Office Predictions
Since the Omicron wave in January, when the theatres reopened, the Indian box office has been booming. The Kashmir Files had a jaw-dropping box office performance while RRR put the box office on fire at the end of March, grossing over Rs. 1000 crores globally. In the interim, regional blockbusters such as Bheeshma Parvam, Pawankhind, James, and others were released. With the release of KGF Chapter 2 and Beast this week, another box office volcano is about to erupt, resetting several box office records.
The Vijay starring Beast will be up first, with a monstrous opening slated for tomorrow over the world wherever Tamil films are released. The film's release date was originally set for April 14 (Tamil New Year), but it was pushed up a day to avoid a direct clash with KGF Chapter 2 on its opening day in order to maximize early demand. The strategy appears to be working, as the picture is expected to open to a large audience on Wednesday.
For those unfamiliar, Vijay and Sun Pictures' previous collaboration, the Diwali 2018 movie Sarkar, holds the Tamil Nadu opening day record with Rs. 32.84 crores. In the last two years, a Vijay starrer has broken the opening day record in Tamil Nadu. After Sarkar, he had two more releases, although both were kept under wraps due to external causes. After nearly four years, a Vijay starrer is finally getting a "normal" release, with high hopes for a new opening day record. The market is a hive of activity, with figures as high as Rs. 35 crores being tossed for day one, and those that are going as high as Rs. 40 crores.
The pre-sales, which are at an all-time high, are bolstering the expectations. At the time of writing, the film had sold nearly 350 polled stations in the state, totaling Rs. 17 crores in ticket sales on the opening day. This figure might be considerably above Rs. 25 crores if unpolled locales and early morning programs are included. It's possible that by the end of the day, it'll have surpassed the Rs. 30 crore barrier. The film's pre-sales will make it the state's second largest opener, surpassing Valimai, which grossed Rs. 28 crores earlier this year in February.
Outside of Tamil Nadu, things are looking equally promising, with Vijay expected to have a career-best start in every region. At the time of writing, pre-sales for opening day in Karnataka, Kerala, and AP/TS totaled roughly Rs. 4.50-5 crores each. The film is set to have an all-India opening day of about Rs. 50 crores and is expected to gross over Rs. 60 crores. It might go as high as the mid-60s if it meets or exceeds expectations. The release of KGF 2 on Thursday will detract from the film's screenings, but it can easily sustain itself from here, especially if the response is positive.