Sundar C's Iruttu earns Rs 3.8 cr, tops Tamil Nadu box office; Telugu film Arjun Suravaram makes Rs 7.2 cr

Four mid and small-budgeted Tamil films, Iruttu, Irandam Ulagaporin Kadaisi Gundu, Dhanusu Rasi Neyargalae and Jada, released on 6 December. All these films belong to different genres and have some popular names associated with them.

Sundar C-starrer Iruttu, directed by VZ Durai leads this pack at the box office and has pulled off a surprise. This no-nonsense horror-thriller has been receiving good reviews; this audience friendly genre is another factor in the film’s favour. After the opening, in the next three days, Iruttu grossed Rs 3.8 crore in Tamil Nadu, with the Chennai city gross being Rs 45 lakh. Thanks to the positive response from the masses, Iruttu is expected to have a steady run in the days and weeks to come. After the average performance of Action, director Sundar C has bounced back as a lead actor in this film.

A still from Iruttu. Image from YouTube

Debut director Athiyan Athirai's Irandam Ulagaporin Kadaisi Gundu, also received rave reviews from the press at the pre-release screening. This translated to good initial interest from the audience and decent box office numbers. Irandam Ulagaporin Kadaisi Gundu was second this past weekend at the Tamil Nadu box office. It grossed Rs 2.1 crore in the state after the opening, with the Chennai city earnings being Rs 43 lakh. The film is expected to hold its head above water in the second week too, with a certain number of screens and shows to its credit.

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The other two new releases, Dhanusu Rasi Neyargalae (DRN) and Jada, met with a tepid response at the box office due to substandard content. Jada was particularly expected to offer something fresh  the sports genre but has been a disappointment. DRN grossed Rs 27 lakh in Chennai in its opening weekend, while Jada managed a dismal opening gross of Rs 19 lakh in the city. Both these films will find it tough to survive in their second week due to the influx of many new Tamil films this Friday.

As expected, Dhanush’s Enai Noki Paayum Thota (ENPT) struggled in its second weekend and did not find a place in Chennai's top five weekend grossers. The film has earned Rs 2.93 crore in Chennai after 10 days, with the total Tamil Nadu gross at Rs 15.82 crore. Directed by Gautham Menon, ENPT is expected to end its run shortly. After the massive success of Asuran at the ticket window, this is a brief setback for Dhanush. He is likely to bounce back with his upcoming Pongal release, Pattas.

Looking at Telugu cinema, it has been quite a dry period for the industry. The dubbed versions of Bigil and Kaithi were a big success in the Telugu states but direct Telugu films were falling like ninepins, back to back. And none of these recent direct Telugu releases featured big names. That being the case, Arjun Suravaram starring Nikhil and Lavanya Tripathi, which released on 29 November, has emerged as a hit. This official remake of the Tamil film Kanithan, from the same director T Santhosh, has bagged a total worldwide share of around Rs 7.2 crore after its second weekend. The film has recovered its total theatrical investment already.

The action is bound to heat up in Tollywood in the coming weeks. Venkatesh - Naga Chaitanya-starrer Venky Mama is slated to release this coming Friday, followed by Nandamuri Balakrishna’s Ruler on 20 December. Sankranthi in January will be epic for the industry with Mahesh Babu’s Sarileru Neekevvaru and Allu Arjun’s Ala Vaikunthapuramulo leading the way. Tollywood will surely recover its momentum with all these noteworthy films lined up for release in the next few weeks.