Dhanush has long been a dependable force at the Tamil box office with films like Raayan, Thiruchitrambalam, and Sir all comfortably entering the 100-crore club.
When his films land well with critics, they typically translate into strong theatrical runs in Tamil Nadu. But his latest outing, Kuberaa, directed by acclaimed Telugu filmmaker Sekhar Kammula, hasn’t followed that pattern — much to everyone’s shock.
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Kubera got off to a wobbly start. The buzz was poor, and advance bookings in Tamil Nadu were weaker than expected, signaling trouble even before release.
And yet, when the film hit theatres, it was met with strong critical acclaim. Tamil reviewers hailed it as one of the most mature and compelling performances in Dhanush’s career.
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Early viewers praised Sekhar Kammula’s layered storytelling, and there was hope the film might build momentum through positive word of mouth.
However, that momentum never quite arrived. The opening weekend collections were middling, and the box office graph began to decline steeply in the days that followed.
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As it stands, Kubera has collected only around 18 crores in Tamil Nadu, with the final tally unlikely to cross 20 crores maximum with a distributor share of 10-12 crores — a deeply underwhelming number for a Dhanush-led film.
The Tamil Nadu rights were sold at 18 crores, but with this trajectory, losses of up to 40-50% are being projected which is a very disappointing outcome.
Director Sekhar Kammula is reportedly shocked by the film’s underperformance in Tamil Nadu.
He believed Kuberaa’s subject which had layers of morality, crime, redemption and Dhanush’s intense performance would strike a chord with Tamil audiences.
He said, “I’m also waiting for the film to pick up in Tamil. I thought the movie had more Tamil sensibilities than Telugu. Furthermore, we had Dhanush. We’ll have to check why the film didn’t do well there.”
