Vishwanath and Sons Day 1: Suriya Surpasses Karuppu Worldwide by Nearly 9%; Domestic Gross Hits Approximately Over ₹17 Cr

BY CHRISTA LINCY

Kartik Aaryan is preparing for a highly productive period over the next two years, with several major projects moving into active production. According to a confirmed update from Lets Cinema, the actor’s ambitious project, Captain India, is officially set to begin filming in September 2026. This film has generated considerable interest because it marks the return of acclaimed director Shimit Amin. Amin, who is widely respected for his work on Chak De! India and Rocket Singh: Salesman of the Year, is returning to feature film direction after a seventeen-year hiatus. His involvement suggests a grounded and meticulous approach to a story rooted in real-life events. The film is being positioned as an intense action-drama based on heroic humanitarian rescue missions. In a significant departure from his usual romantic-comedy roles, Kartik will portray an Air Force Pilot who leads these high-stakes operations. Interestingly, the core idea for the film was originally pitched by Kartik himself to the director and producers, showing a deep personal investment in the story. The project is being produced by Harman Baweja under Baweja Studios, along with T-Series and Midnight Chai Films. To ensure the scale of the rescue mission is captured accurately, the production team has planned a schedule across various locations in India and Morocco, with a theatrical release date locked for August 13, 2027, just in time for the Independence Day holiday weekend. (adsbygoogle = window.adsbygoogle || []).push({}) While Captain India is a major highlight, it is only one part of Kartik's crowded calendar spanning 2026 and 2027. His upcoming creature comedy, Naagzilla (Naag Lok Ka Pehla Kaand), produced by Dharma Productions, has seen a shift in its timeline. Originally slated for an August 2026 release, the film is now scheduled to arrive in cinemas on February 12, 2027, strategically placed just ahead of the Valentine's Day weekend. In this fantasy project, the actor takes on the unconventional role of a shape-shifting snake creature. Meanwhile, work is progressing quickly on Anurag Basu's musical romance, reportedly titled Tu Meri Zindagi Hai. His co-star Sreeleela recently resumed filming her crucial portions in Mumbai, and reports indicate that Kartik has already completed a significant part of his shooting schedule for this movie. Looking further ahead, the actor seems to be heading toward a significant box-office onslaught in 2027. If current timelines hold, he could have three to four theatrical releases in that year alone. This packed schedule includes the February launch of Naagzilla followed by Captain India in August, alongside his musical collaboration with Anurag Basu. For Captain India specifically, the journey to the filming stage has seen its share of changes since its initial announcement in 2021 with director Hansal Mehta. However, with the script now locked and Shimit Amin taking the helm, the project is finally prepared to move from pre-production to active filming next month.

BY SUNIT JANGIR

Mumbai, August 15 - Marvel Studios has finally pulled the curtain back on its highly anticipated X-Men reboot, revealing the principal cast at D23. After months of speculation and casting rumours, Kevin Feige introduced the new generation of mutants, officially setting the stage for the X-Men's full integration into the Marvel Cinematic Universe. The film is being directed by Jake Schreier, who previously helmed Thunderbolts, and is scheduled to hit theatres on May 5, 2028. (adsbygoogle = window.adsbygoogle || []).push({}) The biggest names in the newly announced cast include Sadie Sink as Jean Grey, Kit Connor as Cyclops, Inde Navarrette as Rogue, Maya Boyd as Storm and Christopher Abbott as Professor Charles Xavier. Sink's casting had effectively been confirmed with her appearance as Jean Grey in Spider-Man: Brand New Day, while Connor had been linked to the project before the official D23 announcement. However, the biggest surprise of the night was Adam Driver, who will not play Magneto as previously speculated. Marvel confirmed that Driver is joining the film as Nathaniel Milbury, the human identity of Mister Sinister, one of the most dangerous villains associated with the X-Men comics. His casting gives the reboot a major star-powered antagonist and could potentially establish Mister Sinister as an important villain in the MCU's upcoming mutant storyline. (adsbygoogle = window.adsbygoogle || []).push({}) The new X-Men movie will mark Marvel Studios' first standalone theatrical X-Men film following Disney's acquisition of 21st Century Fox. The franchise is expected to become increasingly important to the MCU as Marvel moves beyond Avengers: Doomsday and Avengers: Secret Wars. Several legacy X-Men stars, including Patrick Stewart and Ian McKellen, are also returning in Avengers: Doomsday, creating the possibility of the old and new mutant eras crossing paths before Marvel's new team takes centre stage. With Jean Grey, Cyclops, Storm, Rogue, Emma Frost and Professor X now officially cast, Marvel has given fans their first clear picture of the next generation of mutants. The 2028 release is expected to be one of the studio's biggest post-Secret Wars projects, with the new X-Men potentially becoming the backbone of the MCU's next major saga.

BY CHRISTA LINCY

Suriya is back on the big screen with Vishwanath and Sons, and the opening day figures confirm that his star power is firmly intact. Directed by Venky Atluri, who is fresh off the success of Lucky Bhaskar, the film has been one of the most anticipated releases of the season. It is clear that Suriya is successfully continuing the winning momentum he regained with Karuppu, marking a definitive end to what had been a relatively quiet decade for the actor. According to early feedback, the movie benefits immensely from its well-rounded cast, with veteran actress Radhika and the rising star Mamitha Baiju receiving special mention for their impactful roles in this emotional family drama. Vishwanath and Sons has made a solid start. The film has raked in a worldwide gross of approximately ₹31.51 Cr. This total is composed of a domestic gross of around ₹17.51 Cr and a very strong overseas contribution of approximately ₹14.00 Cr. Looking at these figures, it is clear that the movie is benefiting from a balanced demand both at home and in international markets. (adsbygoogle = window.adsbygoogle || []).push({}) When we look at the historical rankings, Vishwanath and Sons has secured a spot among the all-time top openers in Kollywood. With a Tamil net collection of approximately ₹9.15 Cr on its first Friday, the film currently holds the 34th position on the list of highest Friday openers in the history of Tamil cinema. It sits comfortably in the company of major hits like Varisu and Kaappaan, proving that Suriya’s pull at the box office remains highly competitive against the industry’s biggest releases. What is even more interesting is how this film compares to Suriya's previous outing, Karuppu. On its opening day, Karuppu had managed a slightly higher domestic gross of ₹17.93 Cr, but Vishwanath and Sons has managed to overtake it on a global scale. While Karuppu finished its first day with a total worldwide gross of ₹28.93 Cr, the latest release has pushed that boundary significantly to ₹31.51 Cr. The real difference-maker here is the overseas market, where the current film collected roughly ₹14.00 Cr compared to the ₹11.00 Cr earned by Karuppu. This shift highlights a growing international audience that is now playing a much larger role in defining the star's commercial success. (adsbygoogle = window.adsbygoogle || []).push({}) The ticket sales on BookMyShow provide even more context to this opening. On its first Friday, the film sold about 454K tickets. When you add the pre-sales of approximately 305K, the total ticket count on the platform stands at a massive 759K. This performance has earned the film a spot in the top ten list of highest first-day ticket sales for Kollywood movies on BookMyShow, currently sitting at the ninth position. It is trailing just behind big-ticket films like Vettaiyan and Amaran, which shows that the audience was eager to catch this one on day one. In the national multiplex chains, the film maintained a steady pace despite the heavy competition in the North. According to the data, the movie sold approximately 83,000 tickets across major chains like PVR, INOX, and Cinepolis. This translated to a gross of roughly ₹1.80 Cr from these venues alone. PVR was the standout performer among the chains, recording an occupancy rate of nearly 47 percent, which indicates a strong preference for premium screens in urban centers. (adsbygoogle = window.adsbygoogle || []).push({}) Beyond the online bookings, the actual tracked footfalls provide a clearer picture of the movies ground-level demand. The Tamil version recorded approximately 454,514 tracked footfalls, with about 320,319 of those being actual seats filled excluding blocked ones. Similarly, the Telugu version saw approximately 337,467 tracked footfalls, with a solid 233,478 when adjusted for blocked seats. These figures confirm that the movie is drawing significant crowds to the theaters in both its primary languages. Breaking it down by region, the film shows a healthy split between its Tamil and Telugu versions. The Tamil version brought in a net of approximately ₹9.15 Cr, while the Telugu version contributed around ₹6.00 Cr. State-wise, Tamil Nadu led the charts with a gross of approximately ₹7.25 Cr, followed by the Andhra Pradesh and Telangana region with a gross of around ₹6.75 Cr. Karnataka and Kerala also added significantly to the tally, with gross collections of approximately ₹1.80 Cr and ₹1.50 Cr respectively. The occupancy trends were particularly encouraging in the evening and night shows. For instance, night shows in Chennai saw an occupancy of 84 percent, while Hyderabad maintained a strong overall occupancy of 64 percent. (adsbygoogle = window.adsbygoogle || []).push({}) The overseas performance is another highlight of the day one report. According to data tracked by Venky Box Office, the film had a fantastic start in North America. The premieres alone brought in around $305K, making it the second-highest premiere for a Suriya starrer after Kanguva. By 7pm PST on Friday, the Day 1 gross had climbed to approximately $322K from 256 locations. Interestingly, the Telugu version is doing a lot of the heavy lifting in this region, contributing about $194K to the total so far.

BY SUNIT JANGIR

Mumbai, August 15 - The Independence Day weekend witnessed a major Bollywood box office clash between Emraan Hashmi's Awarapan 2 and Sunny Deol's Batwara 1947, and the former has emerged as the clear winner on opening day. The sequel to the 2007 cult favourite has delivered a career-best start for Emraan Hashmi, while Sunny Deol's Partition drama has struggled to convert the patriotic weekend into a strong theatrical opening. (adsbygoogle = window.adsbygoogle || []).push({}) Awarapan 2 opened at around 22 crore net (updated) in India on Friday, marking the biggest opening of Emraan Hashmi's career. The film registered an overall theatre occupancy of around 45.73%, with the night shows witnessing particularly strong momentum. Its worldwide gross stood at approximately 29 crore on Day 1, giving the film a strong platform heading into the Independence Day holiday. In comparison, Batwara 1947 collected only around 5.75 crore net in India on its opening day. The Sunny Deol and Preity Zinta-starrer was expected to benefit from the Independence Day period and its patriotic theme. Still, it could not generate sufficient momentum at the box office. The film's opening is roughly one-fourth of Awarapan 2's Day 1 collection, highlighting the massive gap between the two releases. (adsbygoogle = window.adsbygoogle || []).push({}) The result is particularly significant because Batwara 1947 had the advantage of Sunny Deol's strong patriotic image and a release timed perfectly around Independence Day. However, Awarapan 2 benefited enormously from nostalgia surrounding the original film, Emraan Hashmi's comeback appeal and strong pre-release buzz. The sequel had already established a substantial lead in advance booking before release, and that advantage translated directly into opening-day numbers. The box office battle is far from over, though. August 15 is a major national holiday, and Batwara 1947 has an opportunity to improve its collections through walk-ins and positive word of mouth. Awarapan 2, meanwhile, enters the holiday with a huge lead and is now strongly positioned to dominate the Independence Day weekend. For Emraan Hashmi, this is a major career revival, while Sunny Deol's film faces the challenge of recovering from a surprisingly low start.

BY JITU JANGIR

Jacob Fatu has opened up about the advice Randy Orton gave him shortly before his WWE debut, recalling how surreal it was to see one of his childhood wrestling heroes backstage on the biggest day of his career. During his appearance on What’s Your Story with Steph McMahon, Fatu discussed his first experiences inside WWE and the support he received from several established stars. Fatu recalled being backstage shortly before his debut when he saw Orton standing in Gorilla position. “So right before my debut, we're walking out. It's the biggest day of my life. And Randy's right there in gorilla,” Fatu said. Despite being on the verge of making his own WWE debut, Fatu admitted that he was still a fan when he saw Orton. “I don't really know Randy like that,” Fatu recalled. “But I'm like, dude, he's hella big. This is Randy Orton, man.” Fatu explained that he has always been a fan of professional wrestling and believes that genuine passion for the business is important. “I'm a fan at the end of the day,” Fatu said. “And if you not a fan of what you love to do, this ain't your job. You're doing the wrong thing.” Fatu then revealed the advice Orton gave him as he prepared to begin his WWE career. According to Fatu, Orton wanted to help him adjust to life inside WWE and gave him some straightforward advice about handling his finances. “Randy told me this, like, hey, man, because I love your Uncle Umaga so much, in order for me to help y'all to tap back in, I'm gonna tell you right now, save your money and pay your taxes.” The advice came at an important point in Fatu's life. After a difficult journey to WWE, he was finally getting the opportunity he had dreamed about, and he was entering a locker room filled with experienced performers. Fatu has previously spoken about the support he received after joining WWE, particularly from members of his family and established stars. He said the experience had been filled with “love and respect” since he arrived.

BY JITU JANGIR

Shinsuke Nakamura has officially put the new WWE Tag Team Champions on notice, while also teasing the arrival of a mystery partner. Tama Tonga and Talla Tonga captured the WWE Tag Team Championship on the August 14 episode of SmackDown, defeating Damian Priest and R-Truth and The War Raiders in a Triple Threat Tag Team Match. The victory marked a major moment for the MFTs, but they did not have much time to celebrate. Following the show, WWE released an exclusive video featuring Nakamura addressing the new champions. The Japanese star congratulated Tama and Talla on their victory but immediately warned them that their championship reign could be coming to an end. Nakamura also revealed that he will not be coming after the MFTs alone. He told the champions that his partner is on the way and suggested that the mystery star possesses qualities he believes Tama and Talla only pretend to have. “MFTs, congratulations. You are now the champions. Are you savoring the feeling, knowing it'll be gone soon?” Nakamura then turned his attention toward his mystery partner, describing the person as experienced, vicious and deadly. He also made it clear that the individual will bring an unpredictable element to the rivalry. “My partner is what you all pretend to be. Experienced, vicious, deadly.” Nakamura's final warning was perhaps the most intriguing part of the message. He described his upcoming partner as “chaos” and a “ticking time bomb,” before telling the champions to prepare themselves. “He is chaos. He's a ticking time bomb. Take cover.” Nakamura did not reveal the identity of his partner, leaving fans to speculate about who could be joining him in the fight against the new champions. His description has already led to speculation about Hiromu Takahashi, who is famously known as “The Ticking Time Bomb.” However, WWE has not officially confirmed that Takahashi is the person Nakamura was referring to.