The highly anticipated films Ghaati and Madharaasi hit theatres, but the day 1 numbers are a mixed bag. Anushka Shetty's Ghaati, which was expected to do well due to the strong combination of Director Krish and the lead actress, saw poor collections. The film's poor promotional content and unanimous negative reviews didn't help, resulting in very poor advances and a dismal opening day share of less than 1 Cr worldwide. With a breakeven point of over 20 Cr, the film's prospects look bleak.
On the other hand, Sivakarthikeyan's Madharaasi saw unexpected numbers on day 1, with a close to 20 Cr opening. Despite the films slow start in advance bookings, the last minute surge in bookings helped it achieve a double digit start. The Tamil version of the film saw good growth in collections show by show, while the Telugu version had decent noon shows but decreased collections due to below par word of mouth.
In a surprising turn of events, the small-budget film Little Hearts dominated the box office on its first day, collecting around 1.5 Cr gross. The film saw better numbers than the other two biggies in competition, with a big growth in collections with each show. With extra shows added, Little Hearts is expected to collect double-digit gross, a sensational feat for a small film.
The weekend advances are promising for Madharaasi in Tamil Nadu, which could help the film maintain its momentum. However, Ghaati's poor advances hint at a pathetic result for the movie. Little Hearts, on the other hand, is expected to continue its strong performance, potentially doubling its collections from the opening day. The box office outcome for these films will be interesting to watch in the coming days.