Exclusive: Kalki 2898 AD, Indian 2, Thangalaan & more — Tamil cinema set for epic return after disastrous first half of 2024
With a slew of big-budget movies like Kalki 2898 AD, Indian 2, and The Greatest of All Time ready to hit the screens, the Tamil film industry is poised to make a fierce comeback at the box office.
Upcoming Tamil movies
The Tamil film industry went through one of the worst dry spells in its history during the first six months of 2024. The industry seemed clueless about how to bring audiences back to theatres. Even some of the biggest festival releases, Captain Miller, and Ayalaan, failed to deliver the expected results.
In contrast, the box office scene in neighbouring Kerala was diametrically opposite. The Malayalam film industry, which was in bad shape a few months ago, rediscovered its mojo to entertain mass audiences. Since January, it has been churning out blockbuster after blockbuster, creating record revenue.
"We have not got our biggest hit yet," producer and Studio Green CEO G. Dhananjayan told Desimartini. "Aranmanai 4 made good collections, but it's not enough. One hit every month is not enough; for the industry to sustain, we need to have a hit every two weeks."
The industry failed to capitalize on the summer holidays as the producers of all major movies delayed their releases owing to the Lok Sabha elections. The lack of exciting new content was so bad that theatres in Tamil Nadu had to rely on new Malayalam movies to stay afloat.
However, stakeholders are hopeful about turning the situation around and making up for all the losses in the next six months. With a slew of big-budget movies ready to hit the screens, the Tamil film industry is poised to make a fierce comeback at the box office.
"The coming months are going to be exciting. Maharaja is coming out on June 14. The box office is waiting for Kalki 2898 AD because it has Kamal Haasan, Prabhas, and Amitabh Bachchan. It looks huge, and every family might watch it. And immediately after that, we have Indian 2. Kamal sir and Shankar sir would have definitely done some magic. Rayaan is coming on July 26. And now everyone is talking about Pushpa 2 being postponed. So, Thangalaan is coming in, along with a lot of medium-budget movies," said Dhananjayan.
He also revealed the producers' intentions to release Tamil superstar Suriya's most-awaited movie, Kanguva, during the Deepavali festival. In the meantime, other big-star-driven movies like Thalapathy Vijay's The Greatest of All Time, Superstar Rajinikanth's Vettaiyan, and Sivakarthikeyan's Amaran will hit the screens in September and October.
Director Mani Ratnam's multi-starrer Thug Life, starring Kamal Haasan and Silambarasan in the lead roles, is also expected to open in cinemas by the end of this year.
"We are very confident that the industry will be revived in the next six months and it will compensate for the losses incurred in the first six months," added Dhananjayan.
Updated: June 13, 2024 04:14 PM IST
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