Karthi in Ponniyin Selvan. Mani Ratnam’s historical epic Ponniyin Selvan: 1 received a positive response from the audience and film critics after its release in theaters on Friday. The positive reviews and years of anticipation have helped the film garner a great opening at the ticket counters. The film has not only opened to smashing numbers in India but overseas as well. Film trade expert Ramesh Bala shared that the epic has recorded “the Biggest Day 1 opening for a Tamil movie at the WW Box office for 2022.”
The film, which is an adaptation of the novel of the same name by Kalki Krishnamurthy, has collected Rs 25.86 crore in Tamil Nadu, outperforming SS Rajamouli’s RRR and Kamal Haasan’s Vikram. Film trade analyst Manobala Vijayabalan noted, “#PonniyinSelvan part 1 is off to a FANTASTIC start at the box office. The film has grossed βΉ25.86 cr on Day 1 in the state. 3rd BIGGEST opener of the year.” The two films that stand ahead of PS1 are Valimai (Rs 36.17 cr) and Beast (Rs 26.40 cr).
The Hindi circuit has recorded a collection of Rs 1.75 crore approximately, reported Box Office India. The film has stiff competition from Saif Ali Khan and Hrithik Roshan-starrer Vikram Vedha in the Hindi-speaking states. Vikram Vedha has earned approximately Rs 11.56 cr on its opening day.
Ramesh Bala shared that in the USA, Ponniyin Selvan: I has recorded the best-ever box office collections for a Tamil film. He tweeted, “#PS1 becomes the first Tamil Movie to do back to back $1 Million per day (Sep 29th and 30th) in USA πΊπΈ π₯.” The film has also performed well in Australia. He wrote, “#PS1 All-time Highest No.1 opening for a Tamil Film in Australia π¦πΊ for Day 1.. π₯ A$427K. The previous record holder was #Master – A$283K.”
Ponniyin Selvan: I has impressed film critics. Indianexpress.com’s Kirubhakar Purushothaman called it a ‘faithful’ and ‘brilliant’ adaptation with no dull moments. In his review, he wrote, “Mani Ratnam understands Kalki’s novel is a mainstream page-turner, so he retains its flavour and neither intellectualises it nor dumbs it down.”