Thug Life Tamil Nadu Advance Booking: Kamal Haasan starrer clocks average pre-sales of Rs 8.25 crore; To rely on spot bookings
Thug Life's advance bookings suggest that it will gross around Rs 15-16 crore on its opening day in Tamil Nadu. The India gross opening looks to be Rs 19-20 crore.

Kamal Haasan and Mani Ratnam’s Thug Life is all set to hit theaters in a few hours. The much-awaited gangster drama has wrapped up its advance bookings in Tamil Nadu with a reasonable Rs 8.25 crore in pre-sales. This points to an opening day gross of Rs 15-16 crore in the state, landing between Retro and Amaran’s start. Amaran released on a holiday so the realistic opening of that movie would have been around Rs 11-12 crore.
While this points towards a decent kickoff, it falls short of the blockbuster expectations for this iconic collaboration. Here’s a breakdown of Thug Life ’s advance booking performance and what it means for its box office prospects.
In Tamil Nadu, Thug Life has clocked presales of Rs 8.25-8.50 crore. This is stronger than recent Tamil releases like Raayan and Thangalaan, but it trails behind Kamal Haasan’s own Vikram. The film’s performance in key areas like Chennai, Coimbatore, and Chengalpet is driving the numbers while the mass centers are not as good as expected.
Outside Tamil Nadu, the advance bookings are less impressive. Kerala’s pre-sales are expected to close at Rs 60 lakh for the opening day. The Telugu states and North India are projected to add around Rs 1 crore combined, taking the all-India advance booking total to Rs 9.75-10 crore. This sets Thug Life up for a nationwide opening of Rs 19-20 crore gross, a respectable but slightly underwhelming start for a film of this scale.
The absence of a Karnataka release, due to a controversy over Kamal Haasan’s remarks on the Kannada language, is a major blow, costing an estimated Rs 2-3 crore in potential revenue for the opening day. Internationally, the film is faring better if we talk on a relative basis.
The good news for Thug Life is its financial safety net. The film has already recovered its costs (excluding Kamal Haasan and Mani Ratnam’s fees) through non-theatrical deals. This reduces the pressure on theatrical earnings. However, to be a hit, Thug Life needs to gross over Rs 250 crore worldwide.
Directed by Mani Ratnam, Thug Life reunites him with Kamal Haasan after their 1987 classic Nayakan. The star-studded cast, including Silambarasan, Trisha Krishnan, and Aishwarya Lekshmi, along with A.R. Rahman’s music, adds to the hype. With no major Tamil releases competing, Thug Life has a clear run. If the action and drama deliver, this could be Kamal Haasan’s next big hit.
How excited are you for Thug Life? Have you booked your tickets for the film yet? Do let us know. Stay tuned to Pinkvilla for more updates.