Ponniyin Selvan 2, the epic conclusion of Mani Ratnam’s historical saga, was released in theatres on Friday, April 28. While the multi-starrer had a great first day, its box office earnings still paled in comparison to its own predecessor, which had broken several records in Tamil cinema.
As per Sacnilk, Ponniyin Selvan 2 collected Rs 30.25 crore net across India on day one, bulk of which came from the Tamil version alone. The Tamil version accounted for Rs 23.77 crore while the Hindi, Telugu, and Malayalam versions netted Rs 1.70 crore, Rs 1.35 crore, and Rs 3.40 crore respectively. The Kannada dubbed version proved to be a major disappointment, earning just Rs 3 lakhs on the opening day. The film, however, did good business overseas, grossing a very healthy Rs 55 crore worldwide.
However, the non-performance of the dubbed versions is in line with the franchise’s performance. PS1 also had a large chunk of its box office collections coming from the original Tamil version. However, PS1 had a better opening than its sequel. The film had opened at Rs 34 crore domestic net and Rs 80 crore worldwide gross (compared to Rs 30 crore domestic net and Rs 55 crore worldwide gross for PS2). The overseas difference should be concerning and it remains to be seen if PS2 can bridge the gap over the weekend.
PS1 is one of the highest-grossing Tamil films of all time with a worldwide gross of nearly Rs 500 crore. That was largely due to a very high overseas collection of Rs 175 crore. If PS2 aims to reach anywhere close to those numbers, it would need to pick up its overseas numbers quickly.
PS2, a historical epic based on the Chola Empire, is adapted from Kalki’s iconic novel series, considered one of the most important works of Tamil literature. The film, which has been praised by critics, features an ensemble cast including Vikram, Aishwarya Rai, Jayam Ravi, Karthi, Trisha Krishnan, Prakash Raj, Sobhita Dhulipala, and Aishwarya Lekshmi among others.
