Suriya's "Anjaan" has surpassed the collections of Dhanush's "Velai Illa Pattathari" ("VIP") in key overseas markets.
"Anjaan" hit the screens on Independence Day. Although the film received mixed reviews from critics, it has managed to take a big opening not just in India but also in overseas markets.
The film minted approximately ₹10 crore in Tamil Nadu, Kerala and Karnataka on the first day of its release. It also performed well and grossed around ₹4 crore at the AP/Nizam box office.
The Suriya starrer is doing good business in key overseas markets like the US, the UK and Australia. The film minted more than ₹88 lakh in three days, including Thursday previews at the US box office.
"Tamil film #Anjaan – USA: Thu $ 46,525, Fri $ 59,694, Sat $ 38,786. Total: $ 145,005 [Rs 88.41 lacs]. Source: Rentrak," according to film critic and trade analyst Taran Adarsh. The film is expected to cross the $200K mark soon.
"Anjaan" has grossed over ₹67 lakh and more than 48 lakh in two days at the UK and Australia box office, respectively. "Tamil film #Anjaan - UK: Fri £ 41,133, Sat £ 25,215. Total: £ 66,348 [Rs 67.54 lacs]. Note: Some screens yet to report. Source: Rentrak," Adarsh tweeted.
"Tamil film #Anjaan - Australia: Fri A$ 40,150, Sat A$ 45,626. Total: A$ 85,776 [Rs 48.76 lacs]. Source: Rentrak," he added.
The action entertainer has beaten the two-day collections of "VIP" in the UK and Australia box offices. The Dhanush starrer earned ₹24.08 lakh in the UK and ₹18.87 lakh in Australia.
"Anjaan" is expected to end the first weekend on a good note. However, it needs to be seen whether the film will be able to sustain its momentum during weekdays. There are no big Tamil releases planned for the next few weeks. "Anjaan" is expected to dominate the screens but its business might take a hit, owing to negative word of mouth.
The gangster flick is directed by Lingusamy, who has also produced the film along with UTV Motion Pictures. The film's music is composed by Yuvan Shankar Raja and cinematography is handled by Santhosh Sivan.
Both critics and audience have appreciated Suriya's performance. Despite the actor's efforts, the film failed to impress due to a weak script. Its run time was one of the minus points and so the makers have now trimmed the film by six minutes. They have removed Brahmanandam's comedy track in the Tamil version, according to entertainment industry tracker Sreedhar Pillai.
