Chennai: Ilayathalapathy Vijay’s Mersal continues its dream run at the worldwide box office as the film is very close to cross the Rs 200 crore mark. The film has already overtaken the lifetime collection of Vijay’s last year hit Theri.
Mersal, which is directed by Atlee, has collected around Rs 170 crore from the ticket sales across the world in just a week. Trade pundits have pegged the first-week collection of Mersat in Tamil Nadu between Rs 80 crore and 90 crore even as they predict it is likely to overtake the total collection of Rajinikanth’s 2010 hit Enthiran, which is said to be Rs 110 crore.
The only other film that has managed to surpass the collection made by the Rajinikanth starrer in Tamil Nadu was Baahubali: The Conclusion. Well, going by the trends, Mersal clearly stands a chance to beat the record, while setting the new box office benchmark for the industry.
Mersal has collected more than Rs 7 crore in Chennai alone in six days. The latest reports claim that the film has raked in Rs 45 crore from the overseas markets and about Rs 27 crore from rest of the country.
While it was clear that Mersal was made with a sole-purpose of taking the box office by storm, the political controversies surrounding the film helped to shoot up the demand for the film. As the BJP leaders sought some scenes discussing GST and other initiatives launched by the Modi government to be removed, the audience rushed to the theatres to watch the unspoiled version of Mersal.
Mersal and its controversies helped Kollywood beat the gloomy mood at the box office, which was battling several challenges including the Tamil Nadu government’s double taxation policy.
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