Gnanavel Raja breaks silence on Kanguva's opening day collections: 'It will surpass all Suriya movies...'

On Friday, KE Gnanavel Raja expressed confidence in Kanguva’s potential to gain momentum in the coming days. The film, featuring Suriya in the lead role, has set a new benchmark in Tamil cinema for its scale and production values. However, while Kanguva was expected to make a grand opening across the country, its first-day earnings fell short of expectations. As of now, official collection details have not been released, though industry sources report that Kanguva grossed approximately Rs 14 crore in Tamil Nadu, over Rs 5 crore in Telugu states, around Rs 4 crore in Kerala, and more than Rs 3 crore from Hindi-speaking regions. The global total is estimated at around Rs 10 crore, though official confirmation is awaited.

Gnanavel Raja acknowledged the lukewarm opening day figures, saying, “We hoped for a bigger start, but it’s acceptable given it was a non-holiday release. This film will surpass the lifetime earnings of all Suriya movies in just two or three days.”

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Kanguva faced several challenges ahead of its release, primarily due to disputes among stakeholders over profit-sharing terms. The producers faced difficulty securing more screens in Tamil Nadu, particularly due to competitive negotiations and the ongoing successful run of Amaran starring Sivakarthikeyan. Initially aiming for 1000 screens in Tamil Nadu, Gnanavel had to settle for approximately half due to these complications.

Disagreements with some exhibitors, who resisted the producer’s demand for a 70 percent profit share in the first few days, further impacted the release. Typically, exhibitors in Tamil Nadu offer around 60 percent for Tamil releases and less than 50 percent for non-Tamil films, which caused delays in opening bookings across popular theatre chains, ultimately impacting Kanguva’s opening day performance.

Directed by Siva and made with a staggering budget exceeding Rs 300 crore, Kanguva aspires to capture audiences nationwide, with hopes of resonating with the Hindi-speaking market and securing its place as a pan-India hit.

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