Thalapathy Vijay's The GOAT sets a box office record in Kerala—but not the good kind

Thalapathy Vijay commands a massive fan following in Kerala, but he has now faced an unexpected setback with his latest film The Greatest of All Time (The GOAT). Despite the superstar's usual dominance at the Kerala box office, the movie has turned out to be the biggest commercial disaster of Vijay’s career in the state, failing to capitalize on his immense popularity.

Unlike Vijay’s previous films, The GOAT, directed by Venkat Prabhu, generated surprisingly low buzz even before its release. While movies like Leo and Beast ignited massive anticipation and excitement among Kerala audiences, The GOAT struggled to capture the same attention. Despite the lukewarm reception to its promotions, many hoped the film’s release would turn the tide in its favour.

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Thanks to Vijay’s strong star power, The GOAT managed to open with an impressive Rs 5.8 crore in Kerala, ranking fifth among the biggest Tamil movie openings in the state. Vijay’s Leo, Beast, and Sarkar hold the top three spots, with Rajinikanth’s Jailer coming in fourth.

However, the initial success of The GOAT was short-lived. The film received poor reviews and failed to generate the strong word of mouth that typically boosts Vijay’s movies in Kerala. After earning Rs 10 crore over its opening weekend, the film saw a drastic drop in collections, bringing in only Rs 2 crore during the weekdays, for a total of Rs 12 crore in its first week.

As The GOAT completes 25 days in theatres, its Kerala earnings stand at just over Rs 13 crore, far below the Rs 17 crore required to break even. With no further growth expected, the film has officially become Vijay’s biggest flop in Kerala. In stark contrast, Vijay’s previous release Leo earned a staggering Rs 60 crore in Kerala, solidifying its position as the biggest Tamil blockbuster in the state's history.

Meanwhile, local Onam releases such as Tovino Thomas’ ARM and Asif Ali’s Kishkindha Kaandam have outperformed The GOAT, both critically and commercially.

Adding to the disappointment is the fact that The GOAT was produced at a higher cost than Leo, which only intensifies its underwhelming box office performance. While it does set a new record in Vijay's career, it's far from the kind he would have hoped for. What was expected to be a major event film for Vijay has instead turned into an unexpected low point in his otherwise stellar career in Kerala. 

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