Vijay's "Thalaivaa" has taken a fantastic start in key overseas markets such as UK and US.
"Thalaivaa", which was released on 9 August, has raked in ₹77.88 lakh till Saturday (10 August) including Thursday's previews.
"Tamil film #Thalaivaa has taken a super start in UK. Thu previews till Sat total: £ 82,506 [Rs 77.88 lacs]. Excellent!" trade analyst and film critic Taran Adarsh tweeted.
"Thalaivaa" has also had an impressive start in the US as well as in Indian markets. In particular, the film scored big at the Kerala and Karnataka box offices.
Despite receiving mixed reviews, the film has opened well in India (except Tamil Nadu) and overseas markets. According to senior film journalist Sreedhar Pillai, "Thalaivaa" first day collections in Kerala is pegged at ₹1.12 crore from 120 screens.
The film's release is still delayed in Tamil Nadu for unconfirmed reasons. There is still no clarity as to when the film would make it to the theatres. Amid the delay in the release, pirated DVDs and CDs of the film are up for sale which would eat into the film's profit.
Social networking site Twitter was abuzz with messages from Vijay fans requesting everybody to discourage the sale of pirated version of the film. Vijay released an official statement urging his fans to report to the police if they come across anybody selling pirated DVDs or CDs.
"Creating and selling private DVDs is against the law. I request my fans to let the police know, in case they come across such happenings," Vijay said, according to Behindwoods.com.
The actor also appreciated Tamil Nadu Chief Minister Jayalalithaa's rule and requested her to do whatever was required to make certain that "Thalaivaa" gets released soon in Tamil Nadu.
"Our Chief Minister J. Jayalalithaa has been ruling the government efficiently. She has brought in various good plans for the healthy running of the state and has been working very hard to make Tamil Nadu the number one state in the country.. I like the way she has been managing the affairs of the state," Vijay said.
"I request our Chief Minister to intervene and help us in bringing an appropriate resolution in the release of Thalaivaa.. I request my dear fans to be patient till then."
This is the second time that a Tamil film has been stalled from getting released this year. Earlier in January, Kamal Haasan's magnum opus "Vishwaroopam" faced difficulties in its release due to protests from some Muslim groups. The film's release in Tamil Nadu and some foreign countries was delayed by at least two weeks.
Later, the Tamil Nadu government mediated between the Muslim groups and "Vishwaroopam" producers. A compromise was reached following which the film was released in the state and did good business.
