There was high expectation before the release of Kamal Haasan's Thug Life - Mani Ratnam's direction, AR Rahman's music and the star cast had everyone excited. But after 15 days, the action-drama has not performed as well as expected at the box office. Let's look in detail at how the film performed, what were the reasons, and what could be the future outlook.
High expectations vs ground reality
Budget and pre-release buzz: The film's budget was an estimated Rs 300 crore, which is considered quite high even for a blockbuster.
Opening weekend: The film grossed approx. Rs 15.5 crore on opening day, with the Tamil version contributing majorly
Early trends: Day 2 collections dipped to Rs 7 crore (55% drop), weekend saw a marginal recovery, but first week totals hovered around Rs 46 crore.
Weekday Struggle and Karnataka Ban
Week 1 Collection: The film continued to struggle from Monday to Wednesday, with daily collections dropping to single digit crores.
Karnataka Controversy: The film did not release in Karnataka due to Kamal Haasan's comments, which is estimated to result in a loss of Rs 10-15 crore according to trade analysts.
Day 15 Collection: Small Amount, Big Worries
Nett India (Day 15): By Day 15, Thug Life has collected just Rs 47.52 crore nett India, which is very low for a high-profile release.
Day 15 Daily Trend: On today's day (Day 15), the film has earned just approx. Rs 0.12 crore nett - apparently the life span in theatres is coming to an end.
What Trade Analysts Think
Worldwide Gross: The film's global total has so far reached Rs 85 crore, which is way behind the budget.
Estimated losses: Trade analyst Manobala Vijayabalan said, Thug Life distributors may lose more than Rs 100 crore.
Comparison with previous hits:
Vikram - Rs 400 crore
Indian2 - Rs 151 crore
Ponniyin Selvan Part 1 & 2 - around Rs 300+ crore each
Factors behind the poor performance
Story and execution: Critics found the script thin and the execution flat, which led to negative word-of-mouth.
Competition: The summer season saw a number of strong releases, dividing the audience.
Marketing fatigue: No consistent promotional activities were seen after the initial buzz, which led to the interest fading quickly.
Regional ban impact: The Karnataka market saw a revenue shortfall of ₹10-15 crore.
Conclusion & Outlook
The net collection of Rs 47.52 crore in 15 days is very disappointing for Thug Life. The film is now in a slow phase, and further critical bounce is expected. There may be some revenue recovery from the streaming release (July 2025), but theatrical losses are likely to remain. Trade experts believe that the film will be a rare underperformer in Kamal Haasan's career, and a lesson to the industry that strong content and sustained marketing are as important as star value.
Key Snatch
Budget: ~₹300 crore; 15-day collection: ₹47.52 crore
Global gross: ₹85 crore; Estimated losses: ₹100 crore+
Critical: Negative story response; Regional ban impact significant
Some recovery is expected from streaming, but theatrical losses are largely irreversible.
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