Prabhas’ upcoming sci-fi epic, Kalki 2898 AD, directed by Nag Ashwin and featuring Deepika Padukone, Amitabh Bachchan, and Kamal Haasan, is set to release in the next 50 hours.
After the massive success of Baahubali in Tamil Nadu, Telugu films have rarely done well. Prabhas’ recent films like Adipurush and Salaar had disappointing performances in Tamil Nadu, with Adipurush grossing less than 5 crores and Salaar around 20 crores.
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Now, Kalki 2898 AD aims to break even at 22 crores, requiring a gross of about 40 crores to be considered a success—a significant target for a Telugu film in Tamil Nadu.
The presence of Kamal Haasan raised hopes of drawing a large audience. However, going by the initial response to the advanced bookings in Tamil regions for Kalki 2898 AD, the scenario seems a little scary.
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As of June 24, the film has collected 50 lakhs gross in pre-sales with an average occupancy of 15%, indicating a slow start.
While responses from Hindi-speaking regions like Bihar and Gujarat have been better than expected, Tamil audiences are not showing strong interest in Kalki. Is Kamal Haasan factor not working in Tamil Nadu? We have to wait.
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Despite these challenges, there remains optimism that Kalki 2898 AD can reverse this trend. It is hoped that Tamil audiences will embrace the film as enthusiastically as Telugu audiences embrace Tamil cinema. A significant boost in bookings is anticipated in the coming hours.
Keeping the poor Tamil box office advance bookings aside, the name Kamal Haasan brings tremendous goodwill to the project. If the film delivers and Kamal has an impactful role, it will greatly benefit the film in other languages, such as Telugu. There is hope that this success will also be reflected in Tamil if word of mouth is strong.
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