Director Chimbudeven’s Puli starring Vijay, Hansika and Shruti Haasan has surpassed the box-office record set by director SS Rajamouli’s Baahubali in Chennai. Overall, Puli collected Rs.32 crores by October 4 after releasing on October 1, despite cancelled morning shows. Excluding the entertainment tax, which was not waived, Puli has collected Rs.27 crores, out of which, its Chennai collection amounts to Rs.2.85 crores in 4 days. In contrast, Baahubali (Tamil and Telugu) grossed Rs.1.66 crores with 363 shows.
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Puli also had a 90% occupancy rate in all 465 shows across Chennai. The box-office collections for debutant director Ashwin Saravanan’s Maya and Mohan Raja’s Thani Oruvan were Rs.2.86 crores (at the end of 3 weeks) and Rs.6.33 crores (at the end of 6 weeks) respectively.
Trade sources and box office analysts claim that Puli catapulted to the top league as there were no stiff competition during the time of release. Despite average to negative reviews, Puli has been running to packed houses across the city.
Puli stars Vijay, Shruti Haasan, Hansika, Sridevi and Sudeep, along with while Robo Shankar, Imman Annachi, Thambi Ramaiah and Vidyullekha Raman in supporting roles.