PremiumThalapathy Vijay's Leo creates record at US box office, beats Rajinikanth's Jailer even before release
With two more days to go for Leo's release, the actual day-one earnings of Thalapathy Vijay starrer are likely to differ significantly at the US box office.
Last Updated: 10.32 AM, Oct 17, 2023
Thalapathy Vijay's upcoming movie Leo is generating unprecedented anticipation at the box office. So much so that in many regions across the world, Leo has overtaken the biggest openers just in its advance ticket sales.
The advance booking for Leo has surpassed the coveted $1 million mark at the USA box office. It's a significant achievement considering, that no other Indian movie since director SS Rajamaouli's Oscar-winning global hit RRR has managed to generate such amount of advance ticket sales in the USA.
ALSO READ: Leo storm in Kerala: Thalapathy Vijay starrer to smash KGF 2 records, Rs 10 crore opening on cards
The growing popularity of Tamil movies in USA
It's also significant for another crucial reason. The USA market traditionally belongs to the Telugu film industry, where Tamil films have historically not performed as strongly. While it was expected that RRR would make such an impact, Leo's performance hints at an expansion of the Tamil cinema market in the USA.
Last year, Kamal Haasan's Vikram also exceeded well in the USA, suggesting an increasing interest among Telugu-speaking audiences in Tamil cinema. Earlier this year, Superstar Rajinikanth's Jailer made a big debut at the US box office by grossing $930K.
With two more days to go for Leo's release, the film's actual day-one earnings are likely to differ significantly.
Leo's dominance in India
The excitement for Leo at the US box office is also reflected in the Telugu states, where Thalapathy Vijay's prerelease tracking estimates and advance ticket sales are more robust than the two upcoming original Telugu movies: Nandamuri Balakrishna's Bhagavanth Kesari and Ravi Teja's Tiger Nageswara Rao.
Leo is also set to take over cinemas across Tamil Nadu. As per the government regulations, the theatres in the state are allowed to run five shows per day, with the first show starting at 9 AM.
In contrast, Leo's premiere in other parts of the country, including Kerala and Karnataka, will begin at 4 AM.
The producers have now moved the Madras High Court seeking permission for early morning shows, including 4 AM and 7 AM screenings, for a week in Tamil Nadu.