Thug Life Box Office Collection Day 1: Kamal Haasan Starrer Opens WORSE Than His Previous Flop Indian 2 Amid Highly Negative Reviews

Kamal Haasan’s much-hyped gangster film Thug Life, directed by Mani Ratnam, opened with a disappointing Rs 17 crore on Thursday. This marks a weaker debut than his last underperformer Indian 2, which had opened at Rs 25.6 crore.

Despite the buzz around Haasan and Ratnam’s reunion, the film stumbled out of the gate—thanks in part to a political controversy and a shadow ban in Karnataka that hit its box office reach.

Thug Life Box Office Collection Day 1: Kamal Haasan Starrer Faces Poor Occupancy Amid Cold Reviews

In Tamil Nadu, where the film had its strongest release, occupancy touched 52%. Chennai had over 1,000 shows with a healthy 70% turnout. But outside its core base, the film struggled. In Telugu markets, the occupancy was just 21%, and in Hindi markets, only 6%. Delhi-NCR saw barely 4.5% turnout, despite over 400 screenings.

Thug Life Box Office Collection Day 1: Rs 17 Cr < Indian 2 Box Office Collection Day 1 : Rs 25.5 Cr

Early reviews haven't helped. The film is receiving mixed to negative reactions from audiences and critics alike. This could slow down the film’s run, especially heading into the weekend. For comparison, Indian 2 opened stronger but quickly lost steam, wrapping up at Rs 81 crore domestically.

Mani Ratnam’s Miss And The Kannada Controversy

Director Mani Ratnam had seen massive success with the Ponniyin Selvan films. PS-1 opened at Rs 34 crore and earned Rs 266 crore domestically. PS-2 had a Rs 24 crore opening and ended its run with Rs 180 crore. In contrast, Thug Life is lagging much behind.

A major factor dragging the film down is the Kannada language controversy. At the audio launch, Kamal Haasan told actor Shivarajkumar, “Your language was born out of Tamil.” That comment triggered backlash from Kannada groups, who demanded an apology. Kamal didn’t budge, and the Karnataka Film Chambers of Commerce imposed a ban on the film’s release in the state.

At a later event, Kamal chose not to address the issue again but said, “I should thank the entire state of Tamil Nadu, which stood behind me. I completely understand the meaning of the phrase - Uyire, Urave, Tamizhe… And I stand by it.”

Right now, Thug Life is fighting an uphill battle. The buzz hasn’t translated into numbers, and the controversy hasn’t faded. Whether it picks up over the weekend remains to be seen. But going by day one, Kamal’s big return isn’t the blockbuster it was expected to be.