Thug Life Box Office Collections: Kamal Haasan starrer is Dead on Arrival with a poor first day

Thug Life marks the second major disappointment for Kamal Hassan after Indian 2. On paper, his follow-up lineup to Vikram looked highly promising, but it has failed spectacularly.

By Jatinder Singh

Updated on Jun 06, 2025 | 05:30 PM IST | 85K

Kamal Haasan in Thug Life (image courtesy of RKFI)

Thug Life has turned out to be a dead-on-arrival at the box office, opening to underwhelming numbers and facing poor initial audience reception. The Kamal Haasan starrer grossed a mere Rs. 17 crore approx on its first day at the Indian box office. While the advances were already modest, the actual turnout on the day was even worse, with a minimal walk-in audience probably due to lukewarm word of mouth.

The bulk of the day one business came from Tamil Nadu, which contributed Rs. 13 crore to the total. From advances, it was expected to collect around Rs. 15-16 crore, but it fell significantly short of that. The first day numbers in Tamil Nadu are similar to what Indian 2 opened with, but unlike Indian 2, which at least saw some collections from outside Tamil Nadu, Thug Life has nothing to show beyond its home state. The film missed out on a Karnataka release due to the controversy surrounding recent remarks made by Kamal Haasan. However, wherever it was released, it was a non-starter, so it's not like it would have made much of a difference. In fact, the distributor in the state is lucky to dodge the bullet.

Thug Life marks the second box office misfire for Kamal Haasan in a row, after Indian 2, or third, if one already considers the write-off that Indian 3 is. The legendary actor made a comeback to the forefront of the Tamil box office same week three years ago, with a mega blockbuster Vikram. On paper, his follow-up lineup to Vikram looked highly promising, but it has failed spectacularly.

Despite the dismal theatrical performance, the producers of Thug Life are insulated from financial loss, as they fetched handsome prices for the non-theatrical rights. The losses will be with those who paid those prices, as they are certainly not going to recover them, and with the exhibition sector, missing action during the peak summer period.