Karthik Subbaraj's "Iraivi" has lived up to the traders' expectations by doing exceedingly well in the United States in its first weekend. The film has collected Rs. 62.87 lakh ($93,765) in its opening weekend, reports Bollywood Hungama.
The success of the Tamil film proves once again that content-rich films enjoy good viewership in the U.S. Following the positive reviews from critics, trade analysts had predicted that the film would do well in North America. The movie, which is being distributed by Sigaram Visual Media and Praneeth Media, was released in 40 screens and had earned $16,450 (Rs. 10.99 lakh) from the premiere alone.
After getting a decent response for the premiere, "Iraivi" went on to attract viewers in big numbers during weekends. As a result, the film made a good collection in its first weekend.
"Iraivi" is an emotional-drama starring SJ Suryah, Vijay Sethupathi and Bobby Simha. Kamalinee Mukherjee, Anjali and Pooja Devariya are the female actresses in lead roles.
The movie, which delves into man-woman relationship, also highlights how women are taken for granted. The performance of the actors has turned out to be the biggest strength of "Iraivi."
Another new release, "Velainu Vandhutta Vellaikaaran," which hit three screens in the U.S., collected Rs. 0.49 lakh ($679). "Idhu Namma Aalu" and "24" were the other Tamil films, which were screened in the U.S.
Coming to "Iraivi," the movie has collected Rs. 5.46 lakh (£5,665) from nine screens in the U.K., while "Velainu Vandhutta Vellaikaaran" has raked in Rs. 3.47 lakh (£3,592). "Idhu Namma Aalu" was shown in two screens and the total collection of the film in this region stands at Rs. 19.76 lakh (£20,496).
[1 lakh = 100,000 | 1 crore = 10 million | 100 crore = 1 billion]
