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After a long wait and numerous delays, when Rajnikath starrer Kochadaiiyaan hit the theatres on May 23, the masses expected nothing short of VFX brilliance from their superstar. Sadly, the film's collections have failed to match up to the previous record of the southern star's 2010 outing Enthiran (Robot in Hindi).
Kochadaiiyaan is the directorial debut of Rajnikanth's daughter Soundarya Rajnikanth Ashwin and is made using the Photorealistic Performance Capture technology. It has been produced at an estimated Rs 135 crore, majority of which was put into the special effects technology. The film had its share of speedbumps with a delay of almost eight months since the initial date of release due to non-completion of special effects and non-payment of dues by the producers. Sources also reveal that the distribution arm of the movie also ran into trouble with some exhibitors, due to which the release had to be shifted from May 9 to May 23, when it finally released.
According to data released by co-producer Eros International, the latest flick from Rajnikath has raked in Rs 42 crore gross worldwide. This includes the Rs 30 crore grossed in the domestic market and Rs 12 crore in the overseas market. Kochadaiiyaan was released in over 3000 screens globally in six languages - Tamil, Telugu, Hindi, Punjabi, Bhojpuri and Marathi. While the production house refused to give the day wise split, sources in the distribution sector reveal that the film grossed Rs 14 crore on the first day.
Rajnikath's previous release Enthiran grossed Rs 58 crore in India across languages in the first weekend. The film,which also featured Aishwariya Rai Bachchan, was released in around 2800 screens worldwide (300 overseas and rest in India) in three languages - Tamil, Telegu and Hindi.
In comparison, Kochadaiiyaan seems to have has a slow start, despite a wider release geographically and availability in more languages. However, the producers are optimistic. "With pre-sales from satellite rights in multiple languages, audio and music rights exploitation, brand tie ups and other income, the film is well on its way to cross Rs 100 crore in revenue just after the opening weekend," said Eros in a press statement.
While Kochadaiiyaan has done well in the south Indian territories, in the North it has faced competition from from Bollywood release Heropanti and Hollywood release X-Men: Days of Future Past. The former marks the debut of Tiger Shroff, son of yesteryears' star Jackie Shroff while the latter is the latest in the Marvel Universe's X-Men franchise.
Sources reveal that while the movie has not opened to rave reviews, HeroPanti did manage to make Rs 21 crore as net in the first weekend (around 28 crore in gross revenue). X-Men: Days of Future Past on the other hand went on to become the second highest opening after the Amazing Spiderman 2 with earnings of Rs 16.6 crore (gross is around 19 crore) in the weekend .
"Fox Star Studios is thrilled by the response that X-Men: Days of Future Past has been getting from the audiences. It has been a record breaking weekend for the film thanks to the hugely positive word of mouth. There has been a good growth in the numbers and we are looking at a big week one figure given the strong appreciation by families," says Vijay Singh, CEO, Fox Star Studios, the company that distributed the film in India.
