From Rajinikanth to Mahesh Babu: South Stars in Million Dollar Club at US Box Office

Many south Indian actors (mostly Telugu stars) have propelled their movies to join the $ 1 million club in earnings at the US box office, an achievement in itself. The latest entrant is Rajinikanth's "Lingaa" within just three days of its release.

Check out the list of the actors and the films that have made it to this elite club:

Rajinikanth

The superstar's "Endhiran/Robo," which hit the screens in 2010, minted more than $1 million at the US box office. The Rajini starrer is still the highest grossing Tamil film of all time with more than ₹150 crore collections at the worldwide box office.

The actor's recently-released "Lingaa" entered the $1 million club in just three days at the US box office. It has also emerged as the highest grossing Tamil film of 2014 and the second-highest grossing Tamil film of all time.

Kamal Haasan

Kamal Haasan's "Vishwaroopam," which released in early 2013, crossed the $1 million mark. The film is a huge hit not just in India but also in overseas markets. Fans are now eagerly awaiting for the release of the film's sequel "Vishwaroopam 2."

Among Tamil actors, only Rajinikanth and Kamal Haasan have managed to enter the $1 million dollar club. Although films of other popular south stars including Ajith, Vijay and Vikram have performed well at the US box office, they have failed to enter the elite club.

Recently-released "Kaththi" became the first non-Rajinikanth, non-Kamal Haasan film to cross the $600,000 mark. No other Tamil film has even managed to breach the $500,000 mark.

In Tollywood, several stars have made to the $1 million club as Telugu films have a huge market in the US.

Check below list of Telugu actors who have joined the club:

Pawan Kalyan

Two of Pawan Kalyan's Telugu films – "Attarintiki Daaredi" and "Gabbar Singh" – have entered the $1 million club. While "Attarintiki Daaredi" is an industry hit, "Gabbar Singh" is one of the biggest grossing Telugu films of all time.

Mahesh Babu

The Telugu cinema superstar has a strong fan base in the US and many of his Telugu films have enterted $1 million club in the US. The actor's 2014 releases "1 Nenokkadine" and "Aagadu" achieved the feat, though these two films failed to set the cash registers ringing in India.

A couple of other Mahesh's films in the list are "Dookudu" and "Seethamma Vakitlo Sirimalle Chettu."

Allu Arjun

Stylish star's this year release "Race Gurram" became the actor's first film to enter the $1 million club. Allu Arjun also became the second mega family star to join the club after Pawan Kalyan. "Race Gurram" is the highest grossing Telugu film of 2014 so far.

Jr NTR

NTR crossed $1 million in its opening weekend at the US box office. The film emerged as one of the biggest hits in 2013. The NTR starrer minted over ₹40 crore at the worldwide box office.

Nagarjuna, Naga Chaitanya

"Manam" is Akkineni multi-starrer's first film to cross $1 million at the US box office. The film was veteran actor Nageswara Rao's last film and the actor's performance in the romantic drama was deemed as his best. "Manam" was not just critically-acclaimed, but also commercially successful.

Nani, Sudeep

Sudeep and Nani's "Eega" is one of the million dollar films in the US. "Eega" received fantastic feedback from critics and the audience alike. The film's Tamil aversion "Naan Ee" and Hindi version "Makki" also fared well at the box office.