Even as All India Anna Dravida Munnetra Kazhagam (AIDMK) protests Vijay’s latest offering Sarkar,the film directed by AR Murugadoss is doing wonders at the box office. According to trade experts, the film has collected Rs 100 crore in its first two days and has broken records in several places for actor Vijay.
The gross collections on first day were reportedly Rs 47.85 crore and the film has touched Rs 100 crore on the second day. The break up of different regions on second day is yet to be released. Also, the film has set a record on the ticket booking app Book My Show by crossing the milestone of 1 million tickets being booked online. A statement from the company also said that the advance booking of the film has increased two times when compared to Vijay’s previous outing, Mersal.
In Chennai on the first day, the film collected Rs 2.37 crore in the city and is the first film to cross Rs 2 crore opening day collection in the city. Vijay is also the actor who opened the Rs 1 crore and Rs 1.5 crore club in the city with Theri in 2016 and Mersal in 2017, respectively. The film’s collection was equally impressive on the second day with Rs 2.32 crores collected at the ticket window.
In Tamil Nadu, the film had reportedly collected Rs 30 crore on the first day with the rest Rs 17.85 crores being earned in other centers across the world. Actor Vijay also enjoys a loyal fan base in neighbouring state Kerala where the film has made a record-breaking opening. On the first day, the film collected Rs 6.6 crore in the region, which is even higher than Baahubali 2, which had collected Rs 5.5 crore. Vijay’s Sarkar is now the highest opener in the state of Kerala for any language.
In Karnataka too, the film performed well and earned Rs 6.1 crore and beat Rajinikanth’s opening day collection of Kabali. Even in Andhra Pradesh and Nizam region, which is considered as Vijay’s weakest centers in the south, the film performed well at the box office. On the first day, the film collected Rs 3.65 crore and on second, the film has reportedly broken even with shares of Rs 4.40 crore being collected.
With his collection in the country and by becoming the fourth biggest south Indian film after Baahubali 2, Baahubali and Kabali, Vijay has yet again proved his stronghold at the box office.
With Sarkar, the collection outside of India in regions such as USA, UAE, Malaysia, Singapore, the UK and France also adds to the collection. In US, the film crossed the half a million mark on the first day. In UK, the film became the first Indian movie to cross £100,000 pounds on day one and a record breaking opening in Australia for Tamil movie with $ 219, 000.
Meanwhile, the protest against the film has grown with AIADMK tearing banners of actor Vijay placed at theaters in Chennai, Madurai and Kovai. Especially in Madurai, the matinee shows had to be cancelled because of the protest.
The political party has stated that actor Varalaxmi Sarathkumar’s role in Sarkar is inspired by late chief minister J Jayalalithaa. The party also has taken offence to comments made regarding freebies that are distributed during election suggesting that a scene in the film, which burns the said freebies, can cause violence in the state. Hindustan Times tried to reach the filmmakers regarding the protest, however, they have refrained from responding.