Cinema VinesVijay’s final on‑screen outing, the political action drama Jana Nayagan, has finally found its footing at the box office after a sluggish opening. The film, which opened on a Thursday with full houses in Tamil Nadu, fell short of the ₹100 crore worldwide opening that many had expected, but it rebounded strongly over the weekend to surpass the ₹200 crore mark on Sunday.
On its first day, Jana Nayagan grossed ₹78 crore worldwide, a figure that was disappointing for a film starring the superstar, especially given that it did not place in the top five opening Tamil releases of all time. Friday saw a dip, but Saturday and Sunday performances lifted the domestic tally to a net ₹124 crore (₹146 crore gross) over the four‑day extended weekend. In India alone, the film earned ₹28.90 crore on Saturday and ₹32 crore on Sunday.
Internationally, the film performed better, buoyed by a strong premiere in the United States. North America alone brought in over $2 million on opening day, while other territories added another $1 million. By Sunday, overseas earnings had climbed to $7.5 million, bringing the worldwide gross to ₹217 crore. This makes it the second Tamil film of the year to cross the ₹200 crore threshold, after Suriya’s Karuppu.
With the ₹200 crore milestone achieved in just four days, Jana Nayagan has outpaced several recent Tamil blockbusters, including Maharaja (₹190 crore), Dragon (₹150 crore), and Vidaamuyarchi (₹138 crore). It has also eclipsed Salman Khan’s Sikandar, which finished at ₹176 crore worldwide. The film now aims to break the ₹300 crore barrier and surpass Good Bad Ugly (₹248 crore) and Karuppu (₹310 crore).
Directed by H Vinoth, Jana Nayagan is Vijay’s swan song before his full‑time transition into politics. The release, originally slated for January, was delayed due to a CBFC certification issue. In the meantime, Vijay’s TVK secured a victory in the Tamil Nadu Assembly elections and was sworn in as the state’s Chief Minister. The movie boasts an ensemble cast that includes Pooja Hegde, Bobby Deol, Mamitha Baiju, Gautham Vasudev Menon, Prakash Raj, and Narain.
