Kamal Haasan’s much-anticipated film Thug Life has had a strong advance booking phase for its opening day, reflecting huge excitement among fans of both Haasan and director Mani Ratnam. As of early Thursday morning (6 am), over 3.5 lakh tickets were sold across all languages except Kannada, grossing about Rs 6.16 crore excluding block bookings.
Including block seats, the total advance booking value reportedly stands at an impressive Rs 13.89 crore, according to trade tracker Sacnilk. Early reviews have been positive, boosting expectations for strong spot bookings that could help the film set new box office records on its opening day.
Trade analysts are very optimistic: India Today quoted experts projecting an opening day domestic collection of Rs 30-40 crore, with Ramesh Bala estimating Rs 40-50 crore in India and Rs 75 crore worldwide. Bala also expressed hope that the film might capture the iconic “Nayakan magic,” which would elevate its success further.
Sreedhar Pillai forecasted Rs 20-25 crore earnings from the Tamil Nadu market alone, a key territory for the film.
If these projections hold, Thug Life is set to surpass the opening day records of Kamal Haasan’s recent films like Indian 2 and Vikram. However, the film faces a boycott in Karnataka, which may impact its performance there and possibly influence overall opening day collections.
It’ll be interesting to watch how the film fares once actual box office numbers come in, especially considering the mix of strong advance sales and regional challenges. Would you like updates on the opening day box office once available?
