Jana Nayagan farewell Anirudh's viral note to Vijay reveals the true story of their decade long musical dominance

BY SUNIT JANGIR

Mumbai, July 27 - Marvel Studios and Sony Pictures' Spider-Man: Brand New Day is shaping up to be one of the biggest Hollywood releases ever in India. With exceptional advance bookings, massive demand for premium formats, and strong trade projections, Tom Holland's superhero film is in contention to rewrite the Indian box office record books. Here are the five biggest milestones it is chasing: (adsbygoogle = window.adsbygoogle || []).push({}) 1. Biggest Opening Day For A Non-Indian Film The first target is the biggest opening day ever for a non-Indian film in India. The record is currently held by Avengers: Endgame with around 65 crores gross, but Spider-Man: Brand New Day is expected to challenge this massive record. The movie is currently tracking to open in the 50-60 crores gross range, which keeps it in the race to become the biggest non-Indian opener. 2. Biggest Opening Weekend For A Non-Indian Film If the film manages to score a positive reception, it has a realistic chance of delivering the biggest opening weekend for any Hollywood release in India. Currently, Endgame has the biggest weekend with around 200 crores gross, and Brand New Day should easily beat this, given the positive reception. It will have a 4-day weekend, which is expected to be around 225 crores gross or more. (adsbygoogle = window.adsbygoogle || []).push({}) 3. Biggest Opening Week For A Non-Indian Film The film is also eyeing the record for the highest first-week collection by a non-Indian film. With its family-friendly content, premium screen occupancy, and Spider-Man's massive popularity, the opening week could end up setting a new benchmark, beating Endgame's 315 crores gross week record. 4. Highest-Grossing Non-Indian Film In India Beyond the opening week, Spider-Man: Brand New Day has the potential to become the highest-grossing non-Indian film ever released in India. If audience reception remains strong and collections hold well over the following weeks, it could surpass the lifetime earnings of Avatar: The Way of Water's 477.50 crores gross record. (adsbygoogle = window.adsbygoogle || []).push({}) 5. First 500 Crore Grosser Among Non-Indian Films The biggest milestone of them all is becoming the first non-Indian film to cross ₹500 crore at the Indian box office. While Way of Water and Endgame came closest to this milestone, no Hollywood film has ever been able to unlock this prestigious club. If Spider-Man: Brand New Day enjoys a long theatrical run and maintains strong momentum, it could become the first international release to achieve this historic feat in India. With all five records within very much reach, Spider-Man: Brand New Day isn't just aiming for a blockbuster opening - it has the opportunity to redefine what a Hollywood film can achieve at the Indian box office. The film is scheduled to release on July 30 in English, Hindi, Telugu, and Tamil.

BY CHRISTA LINCY

Anirudh Ravichander recently took to social media to share a heartfelt note regarding his decade-long collaboration with Actor Vijay. Following the release of Jana Nayagan, the composer reflected on a journey that began in 2014, expressing gratitude for the unlimited trust placed in him across five major projects. This partnership has consistently redefined the landscape of Tamil film music, setting streaming benchmarks that have proven difficult to surpass. The journey started with the 2014 film Kaththi, a project that effectively launched this musical duo. At a time when internet penetration in South India was still in its developing stages, the song Selfie Pulla achieved what was then an unprecedented feat by crossing 1 million views in less than 24 hours. This success was not just professional but personal; as it was Vijay's first film to officially cross the 100 Crore mark, the actor gifted Anirudh a piano that the composer still uses today. Anirudh has often noted that he performs a specific ritual called the Director's Test on this instrument, where he plays new tunes for directors without any production to see if the core melody stands on its own before proceeding with the arrangement.This initial success established a template for their future collaborations, where every album became a calculated attempt to break existing digital records. (adsbygoogle = window.adsbygoogle || []).push({}) By the time Master was released in 2021, the scale of their reach had expanded globally. The track Kutti Story recorded 9 million views and 1 million likes within its first day, making it the third most-viewed video on YouTube worldwide for that date. The album also produced Vaathi Coming, which has since safely crossed the 400 million views milestone, becoming a staple in the dance-pop genre. This era signaled a shift where their music was no longer just local hits but international trending topics. (adsbygoogle = window.adsbygoogle || []).push({}) The momentum continued with Beast in 2022, which saw the release of Arabic Kuthu. This track remains a significant industry benchmark, hitting 100 million views in just 12 days. On its first day alone, it peaked at 23.7 million views on YouTube. This was followed by Leo in 2023, where Naa Ready became a streaming titan. The song registered over 16.5 million views locally in 24 hours and maintained a dominant presence on audio platforms like Spotify, demonstrating a long-term listening trend beyond the initial viral surge. The final chapter, Jana Nayagan, served as a high-stakes finale that broke both financial and musical records. The audio rights for the film were acquired by T-Series for a reported 35 crore, currently the highest ever for a Tamil film album. Musically, the album bridged traditional elements with global trends by collaborating with hip-hop sensation Hanumankind, who recently gained international fame with the hit Big Dawgs. While the tribute track Thalapathy Kacheri gained rapid traction with 10 million real-time views, the second single, Oru Pere Varalaaru, set a new career peak for the duo by accumulating 26 million views in its first 24 hours. (adsbygoogle = window.adsbygoogle || []).push({}) The emotional weight of this farewell was most visible during the Malaysia audio launch, titled Thalapathy Thiruvizha. The event drew a record-breaking crowd of over 100,000 attendees, earning a spot in The Malaysia Book of Records for the highest attendance at an event in the country. The night featured a rare, emotional surprise performance by Vijay's mother, Shobha Chandrasekhar, who sang the hit Kodambakkam Area, bringing a familial touch to the superstar's final musical outing. This transition from digital records to physical ground-level engagement highlights the scale of influence this duo maintained over their decade-long run. As the partnership concludes, Anirudh's standing in the music industry is at an all-time high. By July 2026, he has surged past 14.9 billion streams on Spotify, solidifying his rank as India's third most-streamed artist, trailing only Arijit Singh and Pritam. He currently holds a global artist ranking of 198, a position largely bolstered by this era-defining collaboration with Actor Vijay. (adsbygoogle = window.adsbygoogle || []).push({}) It has been a thoroughly amazing and emotional journey with you through JanaNayagan, Leo, Beast, Master and Kaththi 📈Thank you @actorvijay sir for the unlimited trust and memories that I will cherish forever 🤗The music lives on ❤️ pic.twitter.com/kt9On6Ms1L— Anirudh Ravichander (@anirudhofficial) July 27, 2026

BY CHRISTA LINCY

The Dhamaal franchise has always been a crowd-pleaser, and the fourth installment is proving that the brand still has plenty of legs at the box office. After seventeen days in theaters, Dhamaal 4 has officially crossed the significant ₹200 Crore milestone in worldwide gross collections. Despite being in its third week, the film managed to find a second wind over the weekend, showing that family audiences are still turning up in good numbers for a light-hearted cinematic experience. This momentum is likely to continue as there is no major competition in the market right now, and with no notable releases scheduled for the coming week, the film has a clear runway to keep adding to its total. The third weekend started with a quiet but steady Friday, where the film collected a net of ₹2.25 Cr across 5,995 shows. However, the real story began on Saturday, as the film witnessed a massive 100 percent growth, doubling its collections to reach ₹4.50 Cr. This momentum carried forward into Sunday, which saw a further 36.7 percent climb to ₹6.15 Cr. This strong weekend performance has pushed the total India net collection to ₹149.55 Cr, bringing it just inches away from the ₹150 Crore domestic net benchmark. (adsbygoogle = window.adsbygoogle || []).push({}) Looking at the occupancy trends, Sunday (Day 17) recorded a healthy overall occupancy of 34.52 percent. The afternoon and evening shows were the busiest, recording 43.77 percent and 44.46 percent respectively. When we break this down by region, Mumbai led the way with 28 percent overall occupancy, peaking at 45 percent during evening shows. The National Capital Region followed closely at 25.8 percent. Interestingly, while the morning shows started slow across all major hubs, the jump during the later half of the day was consistent, especially in Ahmedabad where afternoon and evening slots hovered around the 31 to 38 percent mark. The performance across the three major national cinema chains—PVR, INOX, and Cinepolis—mirrored the broader growth trend and served as a crucial driver for the urban audience. Starting on Friday with a combined gross of 1.35 Cr, the chains saw a massive leap on Saturday, jumping over 100 percent to reach 2.71 Cr. The momentum reached its peak on Sunday with a total of 3.29 Cr collected across these chains. Specifically, PVR grew from 65 L on Friday to 1.45 Cr on Sunday, with occupancy rates climbing from 14.12 percent to a healthy 31.86 percent. INOX followed a similar pattern, ending Sunday with 1.30 Cr at 30.43 percent occupancy. Even Cinepolis witnessed its occupancy triple from 10.13 percent on Friday to 30.45 percent by Sunday, showcasing a strong resurgence in urban interest. (adsbygoogle = window.adsbygoogle || []).push({}) This steady climb was also visible in the digital bookings on BookMyShow, where ticket sales jumped from 37,660 on Friday to 88,780 on Sunday. In total, the third weekend alone contributed over 206K ticket sales to the platform, bringing the cumulative total to 2,589,600 tickets booked so far. These national chains and digital platforms have effectively been the backbone of the urban run, contributing significantly to the total India gross of 177.93 Cr and ensuring the film remains a preferred choice for family audiences even in its third week. On the international front, the film has managed to add steady numbers even in its third week. Overseas collections stood at ₹0.35 Cr on Sunday, taking the total overseas gross to ₹23.85 Cr. When combined with the domestic gross, Dhamaal 4 stands at a worldwide total of ₹201.78 Cr. Here is the detailed day-wise breakdown for the third weekend: Day 15 (Friday): ₹2.25 Cr India Net | 11.0% Occupancy Day 16 (Saturday): ₹4.50 Cr India Net | 19.0% Occupancy Day 17 (Sunday): ₹6.15 Cr India Net | 27.0% Occupancy Total Overseas Gross: ₹23.85 Cr | Total Worldwide Gross: ₹201.78 Cr (adsbygoogle = window.adsbygoogle || []).push({}) Dhamaal 4 - 3rd Weekend Box Office Breakdown (India)DAYINDIA NET COLLECTIONSHOW COUNTDay 15 (Friday)₹ 2.25 Cr5,995Day 16 (Saturday)₹ 4.50 Cr5,195Day 17 (Sunday)₹ 6.15 Cr5,184CUMULATIVE TOTAL₹ 149.55 Cr156,195 As the film moves into its third week, the focus remains on whether it can dethrone Total Dhamaal, which currently stands as the highest-grossing film in the franchise. With a domestic gross of 177.93 Cr and an impressive 6,787,165 footfalls so far, Dhamaal 4 only needs another 5.75 Cr to surpass the 183.68 Cr lifetime domestic gross of its predecessor. However, the global crown might be harder to reach; Total Dhamaal had a massive overseas presence with 48.50 Cr in collections, which is significantly higher than the 23.85 Cr Dhamaal 4 has managed so far. Surpassing that 232.18 Cr worldwide mark remains a big question. That said, with no major competition currently and a clear runway through the weekdays, Dhamaal 4 has a strong chance to at least claim the title of the domestic leader for the franchise.

BY SUNIT JANGIR

Chennai, July 27 - Tamil star Dhanush has addressed the criticism surrounding Raayan's National Award win, responding with humility after the film's victory sparked a heated debate on social media. Following the announcement of the 72nd National Film Awards, many cinephiles questioned the jury's decision to honour Raayan as the Best Tamil Film, arguing that critically acclaimed releases such as Meiyazhagan and Maharaja were more deserving of the recognition. Rather than dismissing the criticism, the actor-filmmaker acknowledged the differing opinions and offered a measured response. (adsbygoogle = window.adsbygoogle || []).push({}) Speaking at a recent public event, Dhanush admitted that there were "definitely better films" released in Tamil cinema during the eligibility period. He said he understood why fans of other films were disappointed and respected their views. However, he also pointed out that awards are often unpredictable and do not always go to the films or performances that audiences expect. According to Dhanush, every artist experiences both victories and disappointments, and he believes that recognition comes at the right time. The actor reflected on several of his own acclaimed films that many fans believed deserved National Awards but ultimately missed out. He mentioned titles including Pudhupettai, Mayakkam Enna, Maryan, Vada Chennai, Karnan, 3, and Raanjhanaa, saying that despite widespread appreciation, they did not receive the honour. Dhanush noted that he accepted those outcomes without resentment and viewed the awards as part of a larger journey rather than the ultimate measure of a film's quality. (adsbygoogle = window.adsbygoogle || []).push({}) Dhanush also urged audiences to celebrate the achievement instead of focusing solely on the controversy. He emphasised that Raayan was made with sincerity and hard work, and that every member of the team had given their best. He added that while criticism is inevitable, it should not overshadow the efforts of the filmmakers and technicians who contributed to the project. His comments were widely appreciated for their honesty and humility, with many social media users praising the actor for acknowledging the criticism instead of reacting defensively. Released in 2024, Raayan marked Dhanush's second directorial venture and emerged as one of the year's biggest Tamil commercial successes. The film was praised for its intense action, emotional storytelling, and strong performances, eventually earning recognition at the National Film Awards. Although the debate over the winners may continue, Dhanush's graceful response has been widely seen as a reminder that awards can be celebrated without diminishing the accomplishments of other deserving films.

BY CHRISTA LINCY

The much-anticipated Jana Nayagan has wrapped up its opening four-day weekend, and the numbers tell a story of a film that is riding high on the emotional wave of being a final cinematic outing for a superstar. Often referred to as Thalapathy 69, the buzz surrounding this project was electric, with fans eager to catch that one last vibe on the big screen. According to data shared by Venky Box Office, the film has managed to carve out a significant space for itself in the record books, even as it navigated the typical ups and downs of a mid-week release. The journey began on Thursday with a massive opening, where Jana Nayagan collected a net of ₹42.70 Cr in India across 13,067 shows. With an initial occupancy of 41.6 percent, the film proved its domestic pull immediately. However, as is often seen with big Thursday releases, the film faced a significant 50.5 percent drop on its first Friday, bringing in ₹21.15 Cr. While the drop might look steep on paper, it is a logical trend for a working day following a fan-driven opening. The real strength of the film was visible on Saturday and Sunday, where it staged a strong recovery. Saturday saw a 36.6 percent growth with ₹28.90 Cr, followed by a Sunday surge of 10.7 percent, collecting ₹32.00 Cr. This brought the total India net collection to ₹124.75 Cr by the end of the weekend. (adsbygoogle = window.adsbygoogle || []).push({}) When we look at the ticket sales on BookMyShow, Jana Nayagan has performed admirably, though it remains a step behind some of the all-time benchmarks. The film sold approximately 3.15 million tickets over its opening weekend, contributing to a massive total of 4,818,252 footfalls nationwide during this four-day window. For context, this puts it ahead of The GOAT (2.88M) but places it behind massive openers like Leo (4.86M) and Jailer (4.85M). It is a solid performance that highlights the film's wide reach across the country. The occupancy levels also told a positive story, climbing from a low of 29.5 percent on Friday to a weekend high of 44.7 percent on Sunday, indicating that the general audience started filling the theaters after the initial fan rush. The performance across the three major national cinema chains—PVR, INOX, and Cinepolis—served as a primary engine for the film's success, contributing a combined gross of ₹20.57 Cr over the four-day opening weekend. PVR led the charge with a total of ₹11.80 Cr, while INOX and Cinepolis followed with ₹6.15 Cr and ₹2.62 Cr respectively. The weekend started on a high note on Thursday, with the chains recording a massive combined gross of ₹7.45 Cr. However, mirroring the broader market trend, Friday saw a significant 52.9 percent drop in revenue, with collections across these chains coming in at ₹3.51 Cr. This dip is fairly typical for mid-week openers as the initial fan frenzy makes way for a brief lull before the weekend crowd arrives. (adsbygoogle = window.adsbygoogle || []).push({}) The momentum shifted back in the film's favor on Saturday, which witnessed a healthy 43.6 percent surge in collections, bringing in ₹5.04 Cr. This day marked the peak for occupancy levels across all chains, with PVR reaching 65.12 percent and INOX hitting 55.65 percent. Sunday maintained this steady interest, contributing ₹4.57 Cr to the total. Although the Sunday gross was about 9.3 percent lower than Saturday—largely due to a slight reduction in the number of shows and a dip in late-night occupancy—the overall performance remained robust. PVR continued to dominate the Sunday charts with 62.3 percent occupancy. Across nearly 5,000 shows in these national chains, the consistent footfalls suggest that the film has effectively resonated with the urban multiplex audience during its critical opening window. Geographically, the film's heart remains in Tamil Nadu, but its reach is truly pan-Indian. Here is the state-wise gross collection breakdown for the opening weekend: Tamil Nadu: ₹84.00 Cr Karnataka: ₹23.93 Cr Rest of India: ₹14.80 Cr Kerala: ₹12.85 Cr AP-TG: ₹10.40 Cr (adsbygoogle = window.adsbygoogle || []).push({}) On the international front, Jana Nayagan has demonstrated a massive global footprint, proving that the superstar appeal remains unparalleled in the overseas market. One of the most impressive highlights comes from Singapore, where the film debuted at the No. 2 spot in the Shaw Theatres Top 10 across the multiplex cinema chain. This is a remarkable feat as it managed to outperform several high-profile Hollywood releases, sitting just behind the digital and IMAX release of The Odyssey. This strong reception in key Asian markets provided a solid cushion for the film worldwide totals right from the opening day. In the North American market, the film journey began with a significant 611K dollars from premieres and Day 1 across 411 locations. After the primary rush on Thursday, the film maintained a steady pace through the weekend, earning 250K dollars on Friday and showing a slight upward trend on Saturday with 270K dollars. By Sunday evening, early tracking from 324 locations showed another 150K dollars coming in, pushing the total North American haul toward the 1.3 million dollar mark. When we look at the total international picture, the film has amassed a cumulative 71.50 Cr in overseas gross. Combined with the strong domestic performance, Jana Nayagan has officially stormed past the 200 Crore worldwide milestone, finishing its four-day opening weekend with an impressive 217.48 Cr gross. Here is how the overseas and North American numbers break down day-wise: (adsbygoogle = window.adsbygoogle || []).push({}) Day 1 (Thursday): ₹27.50 Cr Overseas Gross | $611K (₹5.90 Cr) North America (Premieres + Day 1) Day 2 (Friday): ₹16.00 Cr Overseas Gross | $250K (₹2.41 Cr) North America Day 3 (Saturday): ₹18.00 Cr Overseas Gross | $270K (₹2.61 Cr) North America Day 4 (Sunday - Early Est): ₹10.00 Cr Overseas Gross | $150K (₹1.45 Cr) North America (Sunday Hourly at 7pm PST) The global trend suggests that while the opening day contributed nearly 38 percent of the total overseas weekend gross, the steady collections on Saturday and Sunday helped the film maintain a high rank in international charts. Reaching a worldwide gross of 217.48 Cr in just four days puts Jana Nayagan in an elite bracket of Tamil cinema. In terms of domestic milestones for the Tamil version, while films like Leo and Coolie achieved the 100 Crore mark in just 3 days, Jana Nayagan reached this milestone in 4 days, following a similar trajectory to hits like Jailer and The Greatest of All Time. (adsbygoogle = window.adsbygoogle || []).push({}) Jana Nayagan Day-Wise Box Office Collection (India)DAYINDIA NET COLLECTIONINDIA GROSS COLLECTIONDay 1 (Thursday)₹ 42.70 Cr₹ 50.28 CrDay 2 (Friday)₹ 21.15 Cr₹ 24.72 CrDay 3 (Saturday)₹ 28.90 Cr₹ 33.81 CrDay 4 (Sunday)₹ 32.00 Cr₹ 37.17 CrTOTAL WEEKEND₹ 124.75 Cr₹ 145.98 Cr Looking at the language-wise breakdown, the Tamil version remains the primary contributor with ₹108.25 Cr net, while the Hindi and Telugu versions contributed ₹9.65 Cr and ₹6.85 Cr respectively. The high occupancy in Tamil Nadu (57.6 percent) compared to the Hindi markets (14.1 percent) suggests that while the film has a national presence, it is the core fans who are driving the massive numbers. As the film enters the crucial Monday test, it has already done the heavy lifting by securing a massive opening weekend total.

BY SUNIT JANGIR

Highest-Grossing $1 Billion Movies Worldwide Rank Movie Release Year Worldwide Gross 1Avatar2009$2.923 Billion 2Avengers: Endgame2019$2.799 Billion 3Avatar: The Way of Water2022$2.334 Billion 4Titanic1997$2.264 Billion 5Ne Zha 22025$2.260 Billion 6Star Wars: Episode VII – The Force Awakens2015$2.071 Billion 7Avengers: Infinity War2018$2.052 Billion 8Spider-Man: No Way Home2021$1.921 Billion 9Zootopia 22025$1.866 Billion 10Inside Out 22024$1.698 Billion 11Jurassic World2015$1.671 Billion 12The Lion King (2019 Remake)2019$1.662 Billion 13The Avengers2012$1.520 Billion 14Furious 72015$1.515 Billion 15Top Gun: Maverick2022$1.503 Billion 16Avatar: Fire and Ash2025$1.480 Billion 17Frozen II2019$1.453 Billion 18Barbie2023$1.445 Billion 19The Super Mario Bros. Movie2023$1.361 Billion 20Black Panther2018$1.349 Billion 21Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows – Part 22011$1.342 Billion 22Star Wars: Episode VIII – The Last Jedi2017$1.334 Billion 23Jurassic World: Fallen Kingdom2018$1.310 Billion 24Deadpool & Wolverine2024$1.300 Billion 25Frozen2013$1.285 Billion 26Beauty and the Beast (Live Action)2017$1.266 Billion 27Incredibles 22018$1.243 Billion 28The Fate of the Furious2017$1.236 Billion 29Iron Man 32013$1.214 Billion 30Minions2015$1.159 Billion 31Captain America: Civil War2016$1.155 Billion 32Aquaman2018$1.152 Billion 33Moana 22025$1.150+ Billion 34The Lord of the Rings: The Return of the King2003$1.147 Billion 35Spider-Man: Far From Home2019$1.131 Billion 36Captain Marvel2019$1.131 Billion 37Transformers: Dark of the Moon2011$1.123 Billion 38Skyfall2012$1.108 Billion 39Transformers: Age of Extinction2014$1.104 Billion 40Jurassic Park1993$1.104 Billion 41The Dark Knight Rises2012$1.084 Billion 42Star Wars: Episode IX – The Rise of Skywalker2019$1.077 Billion 43Joker2019$1.074 Billion 44Toy Story 42019$1.073 Billion 45Pirates of the Caribbean: Dead Man's Chest2006$1.066 Billion 46Toy Story 32010$1.066 Billion 47Rogue One: A Star Wars Story2016$1.058 Billion 48Aladdin (Live Action)2019$1.054 Billion 49Pirates of the Caribbean: On Stranger Tides2011$1.046 Billion 50Despicable Me 32017$1.034 Billion 51The Lion King: Mufasa2025$1.050+ Billion 52Finding Dory2016$1.028 Billion 53Star Wars: Episode I – The Phantom Menace1999$1.027 Billion 54Alice in Wonderland (Live Action)2010$1.025 Billion 55Zootopia2016$1.025 Billion 56The Hobbit: An Unexpected Journey2012$1.017 Billion 57The Dark Knight2008$1.006 Billion 58Jurassic World Dominion2022$1.001 Billion 59Harry Potter and the Sorcerer's Stone2001$1.001 Billion 60Lilo & Stitch (Live Action)2025$1.001 Billion 61The Super Mario Galaxy Movie2026$1.009 Billion 62Michael2026$1.01 Billion 63Toy Story 52026$1.02 Billion Data as of July 26, 2026 (Data courtesy - Deadline and Box Office Mojo)