Maari 2 beats other releases during crowded opening weekend in TN; KGF sets industry record with Rs 50 cr

Dhanush’s  _Maari 2_ , which released alongside a bevy of other Tamil releases on 21 December, emerged as the winner during the opening weekend in Tamil Nadu with nearly Rs 11.2 crore. The film raked in approximately Rs 15.5 crore in its opening weekend in India, despite competing with other potential biggies such as Yash-starrer, Kannada period-action drama  KGF : Chapter 1, and Shah Rukh Khan’s  _Zero._   [caption id=“attachment_5759071” align=“alignnone” width=“1200”]  Sai Pallavi and Dhanush in a still from Maari 2. YouTube[/caption] The opening weekend numbers of Maari 2 in Tamil Nadu, however, are below those of the prequel Maari and Dhanush’s recent hit  _Vada Chennai_ , which scored a Rs 27.9 crore launch in the opening frame when it released for Ayudha Pooja holidays. But the footfall for the Balaji Mohan-directed gangster comedy is decent, since it confronted other Tamil releases such as Jayam Ravi’s  _Adanga Maru_ , Vijay Sethupathi’s  _Seethakaathi_ , Vishnu Vishal’s Silukkuvaarpatti Singam and Sivakarthikeyan’s maiden production  Kanaa , headlined by Aishwarya Rajesh. For the weekend ending 23 December, Maari 2 occupied the top spot with a three-day total of Rs 1.31 crore, followed Adanga Maru at Rs 1.01 crore. While Seethakaathi pulled in a good Rs 79 lakhs from four days, Kanaa earned Rs 45 lakhs from three days. The Tamil Nadu gross of Adanga Maru is pegged at Rs 7 crore for the opening weekend, while Kanaa, directed by lyricist-writer Arunraja Kamaraj, emerged as the dark horse with excellent reviews, by posting a total of Rs 3.64 crore in the home state. Kannada film KGF: Chapter 1, directed by Prashanth Neel and produced by Hombale Films, was the second biggest pan-Indian release of the week after Zero. The film has set an industry record with its domestic weekend total of Rs 50 plus crore takings. The Yash-starrer has become the first film from Sandalwood to garner Rs 50 crore from the opening weekend in India. In the US, KGF: Chapter 1 grossed a total of $413,214 until Tuesday to become the highest grossing Kannada film of all time. With a fantastic share of Rs 1 lakh votes and 90 percent likes, KGF: Chapter 1 is already the most liked film ever on India’s leading ticketing platform BookMyShow. The good word-of-mouth and pre-release buzz have helped the film a lot, especially in home ground Karnataka, where it is expected to amass a total of Rs 100 crore and become the first Kannada movie in the process, to do so. The lifetime Karnataka gross of KGF: Chapter 1 definitely has the potential to chase the Rs 128 crore total of Baahubali 2: The Conclusion, which is currently the top grossing movie in the state. Director Sankalp Reddy’s  _Antariksham 9000 KMPH_ , the first space film from Tollywood starring Varun Tej, Aditi Rao Hydari and Lavanya Tripathi, scored a below par worldwide total of Rs 10 crore. Romance drama Padi Padi Leche Manasu, starring Sai Pallavi and Sharwanand, also scored an average opening weekend of Rs 10.75 crore worldwide. In the US, Antariksham 9000 KMPH has collected a total of $314,134 and Padi Padi Leche Manasu has earned Rs 226,053 so far. Meanwhile, Mohanlal’s holdover period fantasy thriller  Odiyan , helmed by Shrikumar Menon, has crossed the Rs 50 crore mark worldwide, besting the total of Mammootty’s _Abrahaminte Santhathika_l to emerge as the second highest grossing Malayalam film of 2018 globally, after Nivin Pauly and Priya Anand’s  _Kayamkulam Kochunni_ .