Shankar-Vikram's 'I' Collection Crosses ₹20-crore Mark at AP/T Box Office

Shankar-Vikram's "I" has done fantastic collection at the Andhra Pradesh and Telangana (AP/T) box office in its five-day, extended first weekend. The film has beaten the record of Rajinikanth's "Lingaa" and become the first and fastest ₹20-crore grosser in these states.

The Telugu version of "I" has been creating ripples in the media for all the good reasons for a long time. Its promos had created lot of curiosity among film goers in both the states, which helped the Vikram and Amy Jackson starrer to register good amount of advance ticket booking.

"I" released in a large number of cinema halls in both the states on 14 January. The film opened to an overwhelming response on Wednesday with many theatres running to packed houses. However, it failed to live up to the hype and was getting negative feedback from both viewers and critics.

Trade experts in film nagar had predicted that the word-of-mouth would drag its business down on Thursday. But it survived and did well due to the day being a holiday.

However, that was short-lived and the movie witnessed a fall in business on Friday and Saturday. Its business improved on Sunday but that was due to holiday.

Despite clashing with "Gopala Gopala", "I" has raked in ₹9.33 crore in Andhra Pradesh and ₹11.30 crore in Nizam. The movie has collected a total of ₹20.63 crore at the AP/T box office in the five-day, extended first weekend, reports Andhra Box Office.

While "Gopala Gopala" topped the Tollywood business chart, "I" finished at the second place in its opening weekend. The Vikram starrer has beaten the first weekend record of Rajinikanth's recent release "Lingaa", which was the highest grossing dubbed movie with its collection of ₹15.3 crore at the AP/T box office in three days.

Mega Super Good Films have reportedly bought theatrical rights of the Telugu version of "I" for a whopping ₹39 crore. They have recovered over 50% of their investments from its screening in the first five days. The movie is expected to return another 25% to 30% by the end of its opening week.

Here is the area-wise breakup of "I" collection: