Over 175 movies have been released in Kollywood in 2018. Compared to the first three quarters, the last quarter was good for the film industry due to a couple of big releases.
Chennai is the key centre for the Tamil movies and at least 30 per cent of the business for a film comes from this region. It is a market where every kind of film has found its audience. Be it out-and-out mass film or family drama, if the content is good, the film could strike the chord.
For an instance, an adult comedy like Iruttu Araiyil Murattu Kuththu without an A-list actor or a psychological crime thriller film like Ratsasan won the viewers' appreciation and turned profitable ventures for the producers and distributors.
Here, we bring you the list of top 10 highest-grossing movies in Chennai in 2018:
2.0: Total Gross: Rs 23+ crore
Rajinikanth's 2.0 is a science fiction made with the budget of Rs 570 crore. Being a spiritual sequel to 2010 movie Enthiran, the movie had all the reasons to set the box office on fire. With Rajini and Akshay Kumar in the cast, the multilingual has made a record business and on the verge of becoming the all-time highest-grossing movie in Chennai by beating the record of Kabali (Rs 24+ crore).
Sarkar: Rs 15.50 crore
Vijay's Sarkar is a political thriller which garnered mixed reviews from the critics and audience. The movie virtually had a solo release and the unnecessary controversy created by the AIADMK helped the flick to strike gold at the box office.
Kaala: Rs 11.45 crore
Kaala is definitely not the best work of Pa Ranjith, but the star power of Rajinikanth had the ability to ensure that the film does an average collection in Chennai.
Thaanaa Serndha Koottam: Rs 6.91 crore
Suriya's Thaanaa Serndha Koottam was the first big release of 2018 in Kollywood. It was a remake of hit Hindi movie Special 26. The movie gained much from the Pongal holiday season and earned above-average grosser tag in the market.
Chekka Chivantha Vaanam: Rs 6.59 crore
Every time people write off Mani Ratnam, he comes back hard and delivers a hit. After disastrous Kaatru Veliyidai, the director returned to the genre which he loves the most – crime thriller. With best actors and technicians backed by the solid storyline about sibling rivalries, the audience had every reason to like the film.
Vada Chennai: Rs 6.20 crore
Vetrimaaran's much-delayed Vada Chennai became a worth-the-wait project. The first part of gangster trilogy won critical appreciation and tasted commercial success.
Irumbu Thirai: Rs 6.15 crore
Vishal seems to have found the knack of picking up right scripts in the recent years. It proved once again with PS Mithran's action techno-thriller. The new-age movie about data theft had an engrossing narration and fantastic performances by Vishal and Arjun Sarja.
Kadaikutty Singam: Rs 5.75 crore
Movies targeted at family audience might not get great openings, but definitely has a longer shelf life. Pandiraj's Kadaikutty Singam is one such example. The film, on the familial values, connected well with the viewers. The film also inspired the youngsters to take up farming as a career.
Kalakalappu 2: Rs 5.70 crore
The market for comedy movies will never wane. With a decent content wrapped with fun elements have always been accepted by the Kollywood audience and Sundar C's Kalakalappu 2 is a classic example as it did well at the box office.
Tik Tik Tik: Rs 5.64 crore
Jayam Ravi's Tik Tik Tik was marketed as the first space movie made in India, but this factor alone did not guarantee success for the film at the box office. Well, the film had enough meat in the story to win the viewers' appreciation.
Note: The figures are approximate and adequately indicative of the box office performance of the films, compiled from various sources.
