Rajinikanth's "Kochadaiiyaan" (or "Kochadaiyaan") took a grand opening in its first weekend at the worldwide box office.
The film, which released on 23 May, has reportedly grossed ₹42 crore (in 6 languages, 2D and 3D versions combined). "#Kochadaiiyaan opening weekend - Worldwide: ₹ 42 cr gross. All 6 languages. 2D and 3D. SUPERB!," film critic and trade analyst Taran Adarsh tweeted.
"Kochadaiiyaan" hit theatres on a massive scale worldwide on Friday. The film had a solo big release in Tamil Nadu and did not have any competition from any other Tamil releases. However, there were a few other-language films that hit the screens on the same day. But, it did not deter "Kochadaiiyaan" prospects and the film kicked off on a fantastic note in Tamil Nadu.
Rajinikanth has huge fan following in the south and the actor's films always get good response in the first weekend. "Kochadaiiyaan" also received overwhelming response in the opening day and the positive word of mouth has helped the film to mint ₹31 crore in the first weekend at the Indian box office.
In Tamil Nadu's capital Chennai, the film witnessed average theatre occupancy of 97 percent. The epic drama reportedly minted ₹1.80 crore in the debut weekend and has turned out to be the first film of 2014 to earn the best ever opening weekend collections in Chennai, according to Behindwoods website. The film has also performed well in other areas.
While the Tamil version has done good business, the Telugu version ("Vikramasimha") and Hindi version (also "Kochadaiiyaan") have failed to set the cash registers ringing. The Hindi version faced stiff competition from Tiger Shroff's "Heropanti" (a remake of Telugu film "Parugu") resulting the latter to emerge on top.
"Heropanti" performed better than "Kochadaiiyaan" in the northern circuits. The performance of the Rajinikanth starrer was below par in the Hindi belt, while "Heropanti" took a good opening. Delay in the film's release has reportedly affected its business. Moreover, animation films haven't found bigger audience in India, which has also affected the business of "Kochadaiiyaan," reported Bollywood Hungama.
The performance of the Telugu version "Vikramsimha" has also been very poor. The historic drama received mixed reviews from Telugu film critics and the audience. Strong competition from Telugu film "Manam," coupled with mixed reviews, have worked against the film and it has failed to click at the box office in Andhra Pradesh.
The Soundarya directorial reportedly earned around ₹3 crore share in its opening weekend at the AP/Nizam areas, which is a poor start for a Rajinikanth starrer, according to Andhraboxoffice website.
In overseas markets, "Kochadaiiyaan" reportedly took a decent opening in the first weekend. The film minted ₹12 crore at the foreign box office. With Monday (26 May) being a holiday due to Memorial Day, the film's collections are expected to increase and it is likely to post good numbers at the end of five days (22-26 May).
Overall, the film's performance have been fantastic at the worldwide box office. It remains to be seen as to how the historic drama performs in the coming days.
"Kochadaiiyaan" is India's first 3D film to use photorealistic motion capturing techniques. The film has Rajinikanth in triple roles – Kochadaiiyaan, Rana and Sena. Deepika Padukone, Nassar, Jackie Shroff and Shobana are among others doing pivotal roles in the film. Its music has been composed by AR Rahman and cinematography has been handled by Rajeev Menon.
