Nerkonda Paarvai likely to break Hollywood films' dominance at TN box office, after Hobbs & Shaw emerges big

Thala Ajith’s Nerkonda Paarvai is releasing in primary screens across Chennai from 8 August, and will take over the lion’s share of shows. Ajith’s last two films,  Vivegam and Viswasam , successfully sailed past the Rs 10 crore gross mark in the city, and the actor will be looking forward to scoring a hat-trick with Nerkonda Paarvai, a film which caters to multiplex audiences more. [caption id=“attachment_6327801” align=“alignnone” width=“825”] The poster of Nerkonda Paarvai[/caption] The pre-release business of Nerkonda Paarvai in Tamil Nadu is estimated to be Rs 45 crore and the movie will have to garner a share of above Rs 45 cr to become a safe venture for all the stakeholders involved in the project. Currently, Ajith’s Viswasam, released for Pongal 2019, remains the all-time highest-grossing Tamil film ever in TN, with a massive lifetime gross of Rs 130 crore, and a final share of Rs 73.3 crore. After a slew of below-par films in the recent past, trade is now waiting for Nerkonda Paarvai to revive the momentum at the box office this week. Hollywood action thriller Fast & Furious Presents: Hobbs & Shaw outperformed all the new Tamil releases, such as Jyotika’s comedy entertainer Jackpot , Krishna’s Kazhugu 2, and rural drama Thoratti, to emerge atop the TN box office chart for the weekend of 2-4 August. The Dwayne Johnson and Jason Statham-starrer pulled in an excellent Rs 6 core in its opening weekend in the state, substantiating the recent string of super-hit outings for Hollywood films at the ticket window. Jyotika’s Jackpot, helmed by Gulaebaghavali fame Kalyaan, earned a decent total of Rs 2.5 crore in TN in its opening weekend. With a good second weekend total of Rs 2.75 crore, holdover Tamil hit A1, starring Santhanam, occupied the second position at the TN box office. The running total of A1 stands at Rs 14.8 crore, and the film marks Santhanam’s second consecutive hit in 2019 after Dhillukku Dhuddu 2, which is currently the ninth top-grossing Tamil movie of the year. Holdover Hollywood blockbuster The Lion King continues to roar strongly at the box office with a solid third weekend total of Rs 2.34 crore, taking its running cumulative in TN to Rs 28.5 crore. [caption id=“attachment_5775651” align=“alignnone” width=“825”] First look poster Fast & Furious Presents: Hobbs & Shaw[/caption] Hollywood dominated Tamil films at the Chennai city box office for the weekend of 2-4 August with Hobbs and Shaw, and The Lion King taking the first and second spots respectively. The Lion King is inching towards the Rs 5 crore club in Chennai with a 17-day total of Rs 4.8 crore from the city. Santhanam’s A1 has raked in Rs 2.25 crore from ten days in Chennai city box office. Now, The film, which is directed by Theeran Adhigaaram Ondru helmer Vinoth and produced by Boney Kapoor, has already opened to rave reviews from early press screenings, and premiere shows in Singapore. After opening to good numbers, Telugu film Dear Comrade crashed at the worldwide box office. The film, which starred Vijay Deverakonda and Rashmika Mandanna as leads, earned Rs 33 crore globally in its opening weekend. However, due to poor word-of-mouth in home ground Andhra Pradesh and Telangana, the Bharat Kamma-directed romance drama failed to sustain during the weekdays. The film’s running total in the USA stands at $829,352 (Rs 5.8 crore), and it is likely to miss the million-dollar feat. New Telugu release Rakshasudu, starring Bellamkonda Srinivas and Anupama Parameswaran, fetched good reviews from both critics and audiences alike. The film hauled in a decent global total of Rs 13.6 crore from its opening weekend, with a distributor share of Rs 6.8 crore. The worldwide theatrical rights for the film are estimated to be Rs 16 crore, and the movie will have to sustain well until the second weekend to recover the investment. Nagarjuna Akkineni’s Manmadhudu 2 is another high-profile release this week from the south besides Ajith’s Nerkonda Paarvai. The worldwide theatrical rights of the film directed by Rahul Ravindran are pegged at Rs 18 crore. The film is an official remake of French romantic comedy I Do and stars Rakul Preet in an important role. The film releases worldwide on 9 August.