Vikram-Shankar's magnum opus "I" is gearing up for a grand release on Wednesday, 14 January. The film will be releasing in multiple languages including Tamil, Telugu and Hindi. While the southern states will witness the film's release on 14 January, it will be releasing in other states on 15 January.
"I" will have the biggest ever release for a South Indian film across the world. Its screen count is expected to be over 2,700, which will be a record for a South film (all versions). Although "I" will not enjoy a solo release, the film is likely to dominate the screens and take mega openings at the worldwide box office.
Pre-release buzz, promotional activities, Vikram-Shankar's star power, advance booking and Sankranti/Pongal holidays are some of the factors that will ensure "I" to get a fantastic start in the first weekend. It is expected to create opening day record considering the huge release for the film.
It will be interesting to see if the Vikram-starrer will be able to beat Vijay's "Kaththi" opening day collections at the Tamil Nadu box office. "Kaththi," which hit the screens on 22 October, took extraordinary openings on the first day by minting approximately ₹12.5 crore nett.
"#Kaththi takes #MonsterOpening in TN - Rs 12.5 Cr net (approx) on 1st day-Oct22, multiple screens & shows & tax free," entertainment industry tracker Sreedhar Pillai tweeted.
It needs to be seen whether "I" will surpass "Kaththi" collections on its opening day in Tamil Nadu.
Another key market which will be under focus will be the United States. "Kaththi" fared exceptionally well in the US, where it created a new record of being the first non-Rajinikanth, non-Kamal Haasan starrer to cross $100K through premiere shows. The Vijay-starrer is also the first non-Rajini, non-Kamal film to surpass $600K in its lifetime collections at the box office. It remains to be seen if "I" will break "Kaththi" record in the US.
The Shankar directorial will have Vikram appearing in different get-ups. Amy Jackson, Upen Patel and Suresh Gopi are also part of the film's cast. Its music is composed by AR Rahman, while editing is handled by PC Sreeream. The film has fetched a U/A rating from the censor board and has a run time of over three hours.
