Vijay's final film 'Jana Nayagan' crosses Rs 260 crore worldwide, but Day 8 sees sharp drop
Jana Nayagan, the final film starring actor and Tamil Nadu Chief Minister Vijay, has crossed Rs 260 crore in worldwide gross collections. However, film trade data shows a significant slowdown in its second week at the box office.
On its eighth day in theatres, the film earned an estimated Rs 3.98 crore net across 5,496 shows in India, according to Sacnilk. This takes its total India net collections to Rs 153.48 crore, with the India gross standing at Rs 179.25 crore. Overseas, Jana Nayagan has grossed Rs 81 crore, bringing its worldwide gross to Rs 260.25 crore.
On Day 8, the film recorded an overall theatre occupancy of 21.58%. Morning shows saw 16.54% occupancy, afternoon shows 19.77%, evening shows 24.15%, and night shows 25.85%. The Tamil version remained the primary driver, collecting Rs 3.27 crore net with 22% occupancy across 3,037 shows. The Hindi version added Rs 0.48 crore net with 10% occupancy from 2,203 shows, while the Telugu version brought in Rs 0.23 crore net with 15% occupancy across 256 shows.
The film has been facing stiff competition from Christopher Nolan's The Odyssey, which continues to attract audiences. With Marvel's Spider-Man: Brand New Day also set for release, trade analysts expect Jana Nayagan's collections to decline further in the coming days.
Amid the slowing momentum, producer KVN Venkat Narayanan has attributed part of the challenge to the film's 'A' certification. Speaking to Galatta Plus, Narayanan said the Censor Board's Examining Committee had recommended a UA 16+ certificate, but the Revising Committee ultimately awarded an 'A'. He argued that a UA certificate would have expanded the audience base.
"Unfortunately, we received an 'A' certificate. The Examining Committee had recommended a UA 16+ certificate, but the Revising Committee ultimately awarded it an 'A'. Within the censor system, the difference can come down to differing viewpoints. Had we received a UA certificate, the audience base would have been much larger. Children, especially, would have enjoyed the film. They would have been excited by the drone and robot sequences and looked forward to those moments," Narayanan said.
He added that the film was designed to appeal to multiple age groups. "Every aspect of the film was designed to appeal to different age groups because Thalapathy Vijay sir's fans span generations across the globe. Kids would have waited and enjoyed the episodes of drones and robots. Youngsters would have connected with the transformation and social themes," he said.
Jana Nayagan, directed by H Vinoth, features Pooja Hegde, Bobby Deol, Mamitha Baiju, Priyamani, Gautham Vasudev Menon, and Prakash Raj in pivotal roles. The film is considered a milestone in Vijay's career, as he transitions from cinema to full-time politics.
Box office figures are estimates provided by Sacnilk and may be revised after final reports.
