Aishwarya Rai Bachchan starrer Ponniyin Selvan inches closer to Rs 500 crore mark
These days, movies from the Southern film industry have a larger fan base than Bollywood films. At least, that's what the current box office scenario suggests. Four of the top five biggest box office hits in Indian cinema have come from the south. With the popularity of South films, it appears that Hindi films are struggling to cater to their own traditional fanbase. The recent release of films such as 'Kantara' and Mani Ratnam's epic 'Ponniyin Selvan: 1' suggests an even stronger preference for the South.
'Kantara,' a small-budget Kannada film, has earned Rs. 100 crores worldwide in just 17 days. 'Ponniyin Selvan: 1', Mani Ratnam's magnum opus that has been in the works for quite some time, on the other hand, has collected Rs. 450 crores (gross) globally. This also means that the film has outperformed Ayan Mukerji's 'Brahmastra: Part 1' in terms of box office. This 'Ponniyin Selvan" 1' has done so within three weeks of its release, and many have noted that despite Mani Ratnam's efforts to avoid all crowd-pleasing elements, 'Ponniyin Selvan: 1' has become such a blockbuster.
'PS:1' surpassed the Rs. 400 crore mark worldwide within 12 days of its release, according to film critic and trade analyst Manobala Vijayabalan. 'Brahmastra,' on the other hand, took over 25 days to collect Rs. 425 crores on a budget of over Rs. 400 crores. Because 'Ponniyin Selvan' is still running successfully in theatres, it will undoubtedly gross more than the previous film.
'Ponniyin Selvan: 1' broke box office records in Tamil Nadu alone, earning Rs. 200 crores. The film appears to be showing no signs of slowing down, and with the Diwali festival weekend approaching, it appears that the film will only get better.
It's also worth noting that Mani Ratnam shot his film in two parts, which saved the producers a lot of money. And, based on 'PS 1' collections thus far, the producers may have recouped their entire investment.
Aside from 'PS: 1,' Kamal Haasan's 'Vikram' earned Rs. 440 crores at the box office worldwide. 'RRR' and 'KGF: Chapter 2' are the other two major South Indian films released this year.