Kollywood legend Rajinikanth's new movie Annaatthe, which hit the screens on November 4, grossed Rs 27.15 crore at the Tamil Nadu box office on its second day much to the delight of 'Thalaivar' fans. The biggie had raked in a record Rs 34.92 crore on the opening day despite the limited buzz. Its two-day gross stands at Rs 62.07 crore, an impressive figure by Tamil cinema's standards.
The biggie is doing exceptional business in 'B' and 'C' centres because of the rural setting. The general feeling is that it has benefited from the Diwali holidays and Rajinikanth's mass connect. Annaatthe clicked with the family audience as it utilises the 'sister' sentiment and has pretty much everything that one would expect from a 'Superstar' movie.
Many felt that Annaatthe would face competition from the Hollywood movie Eternals in Chennai but that doesn't seem to have happened. The Chloe Zhao-helmed Marvel flick opened to a good response at the box office but could not cater to a family audience due to its bold theme. The mixed reviews further dented its prospects. The Bollywood biggie Sooryavanshi too isn't the top pick of the audience in Tamil Nadu
Annaatthe, meanwhile, has failed to impress critics. The consensus is that the film caters to die-hard Rajinikanth fans but has an 'outdated' screenplay, The word of mouth is mixed to negative, which may affect it once the initial buzz fades. That said, the film is set to witness good growth over the extended weekend. The film, however, needs to stay strong over the weekdays to emerge as a blockbuster.
Annaatthe has been directed by Siva and marks the Vedalam helmer's first collaboration with Rajinikanth. It revolves around the journey of a caring elder brother who considers his sister to be his world. The cast includes Keerthy Suresh, Nayanthara, Khushbu, Meena and Jagapathi Babu. It is backed by Sun Pictures, the banner behind hits such as Sarkar and Petta.