Thunivu earns ₹23 crore, beats Vijay’s Varisu that made ₹19.5 cr in Tamil Nadu

The Tamil industry witnessed one of the biggest box office clashes on Wednesday as Vijay’s Varisu and Ajith Kumar-starrer Thunivu released on the same day ahead of the Pongal festival. In spite of the neck-to-neck competition at the ticket window, both the films managed to register a solid opening at the Tamil Nadu box office. As per trade sources, both the films collected a cumulative gross of ₹42.5 crore on the first day.

After a gap of nine years, films of both Ajith and Vijay have been released on the same day. Box office tracking portal Andhra Box Office took to Twitter to share the opening day numbers of Varisu and Thunivu. As per their tweet, Ajith’s Thunivu had a slightly upper hand at the box office as it grossed ₹23 crore on the first day. Varisu, on the other hand, collected ₹19.5 crore.

“Thunivu ( ₹23 crore gross) has won the first day battle against Varisu ( ₹19.5 crore gross) in Tamil Nadu. Approximate figures. But mostly due to better distribution! In All Red Giant Areas of #arisu, both are neck and neck,” read a tweet from the portal. Both Varisu and Thunivu released in equal numbers of screens in Tamil Nadu. Shows as early as 1am were organised for the grand release of both the eagerly-awaited films.

Thunivu, a heist thriller, marked the third consecutive collaboration between Ajith, director H Vinoth and producer Boney Kapoor. The film also stars Manju Warrier in a key role. Set mostly inside a bank, the film shines the spotlight on financial scams and how it affects the general public.

Varisu, which stars Vijay, is a family drama about the youngest son taking over his father’s business empire, while dealing with stiff opposition from his two elder brothers. Directed by Vamshi Paidipally, the film also marked Vijay’s debut in Telugu as the film was also shot in the language along with its Tamil version. The film also stars Rashmika Mandanna, Sarath Kumar, Shaam, Srikanth and Jayasudha.