October 11, 2024: Rajinikanth’s latest film Vettaiyan made a strong start at the Indian box office, opening with over ₹30 crore net on its first day. However, despite the anticipation of a boost in ticket sales due to the Ayudha Puja holiday in Tamil Nadu, the film has seen a surprising decline in pre-sales for Day 2.
Directed by TJ Gnanavel, Vettaiyan has received mostly favourable reviews, with many praising Rajinikanth’s choice to step away from his usual mass entertainer formula. While audience reactions have been positive, this sentiment hasn’t translated into an increase in advance bookings.
On Day 2, Vettaiyan sold tickets worth ₹9.10 crore gross in advance bookings, a drop of 21.55% compared to yesterday’s ₹11.60 crore gross. Though the film is holding up decently at the Tamil Nadu box office, the dip in sales is unexpected given the holiday and strong word-of-mouth.
In comparison, Thalapathy Vijay’s The Greatest Of All Time (The GOAT) earned ₹12.35 crore in advance bookings on its second day in Tamil Nadu. Meanwhile, as of 9 AM, Vettaiyan had sold 14.02K tickets on BookMyShow, with hopes for a surge in on-spot bookings as the day progresses.
