Premium20 years on, Ghilli reigns again: Thalapathy Vijay's old blockbuster comes to the rescue of Tamil Nadu theatres
Thalapathy Vijay's Ghilli has become the biggest hit in the history of Tamil re-releases, with all shows going houseful across the world, particularly in Tamil Nadu.
Thalapathy Vijay and Trisha in Ghilli.
Last Updated: 06.22 PM, Apr 22, 2024
Tamil superstar Thalapathy Vijay's two-decade-old blockbuster, Ghilli, has brought much-needed relief to theatres in Tamil Nadu. The film was re-released last Saturday, coinciding with its 20th anniversary. Even though many had high hopes for the movie to perform well in terms of collections, the actual response has exceeded expectations.
Ghilli has become the biggest hit in the history of Tamil re-releases, with all shows going houseful across the world, particularly in Tamil Nadu. According to industry sources, the movie's two-day collection has already outearned the majority of new Tamil movies released in theatres this year.
Ghilli Sets Box Office on Fire, Again!
The box office business in Tamil Nadu has been going through a rough patch since last year. It's widely agreed that the last Tamil film to capture the audience's attention in the state was director Karthik Subbaraj's Jigarthanda DoubleX. None of the high-profile Tamil releases this year so far, including Dhanush's "Captain Miller, Sivakarthikeyan's Ayalaan,, and "Lal Salaam," starring Superstar Rajinikanth in an extended cameo role, managed to draw people to theatres.
The lack of interest in new Tamil films was so severe that theatres had to rely on new Malayalam movies to generate revenue. Before Ghilli, Tamil Nadu theatres caught a break with the Malayalam blockbuster Manjummel Boys.
Starring an ensemble cast of non-star actors, Manjummel Boys went on to earn more than Rs 50 crore in ticket sales in Tamil Nadu alone. Other recent Malayalam movies, Premalu and Avesham, also performed well, aiding theatres in surviving the box office dry spell.
Summer holidays are usually the preferred months for filmmakers to release their big-ticket films. However, due to the ongoing Lok Sabha elections, all highly-awaited Tamil movies have been delayed until June. This has forced stakeholders in the Tamil film industry to rely on old Tamil blockbusters to bring people back to cinemas.
Ghilli has outperformed other blockbusters that were re-released in recent years. According to reports, the movie's worldwide two-day collection is pegged at more than Rs 12 crore. Ghilli has earned more than Rs 7 crore in Tamil Nadu alone, while also performing well in Karnataka and Kerala, where it received limited screenings. The film also earned more than Rs 3.5 crore from international territories.
Where to Watch Ghilli on Streaming?
According to reports, Ghilli is recording strong trends at the Tamil Nadu box office, with some theatres reporting houseful noon shows on Monday.
Ghilli is the Tamil remake of the Telugu blockbuster Okkadu. Director Dharani, who wrote the screenplay for the Tamil remake, made Ghilli edgier than the Telugu original. The film was a huge hit when it was released in cinemas in 2004. Besides Thalapathy Vijay, the film also features memorable performances from Trisha and Prakash Raj.
Ghilli is available for streaming on SunNXT and OTTplay Premium .