Soori’s Mandaadi is no longer chasing a big opening; it is grinding through the part of the run where every extra crore is harder to earn. On day 25, Sunday, October 4, the Tamil action film added Rs 1.23 crore net in India, a 5.1% lift over Saturday’s Rs 1.17 crore. That took its India net to Rs 99.40 crore, with India gross at Rs 115.87 crore and overseas gross at Rs 17.95 crore. Worldwide gross now stands at Rs 133.82 crore.
Mandaadi’s fourth-weekend hold
The film’s weekend arc tells a clear story. Friday opened the fourth weekend at Rs 1.43 crore from 650 shows with 45.0% occupancy. Saturday slipped to Rs 1.17 crore from 700 shows with 36.0% occupancy. Sunday recovered to Rs 1.23 crore from 723 shows at 37.0% overall occupancy, helped by 108,297 footfalls.
- Week 1 India net: Rs 57.30 crore
- Week 2 India net: Rs 26.00 crore
- Week 3 India net: Rs 12.27 crore
- Day 25 India net: Rs 1.23 crore
The Tamil 2D version’s evening shows were the strongest at 53.64% occupancy, while morning and afternoon held at 42.64% and 48.09%. Night dropped to 35.55%, a scheduling signal for exhibitors planning the next weekend’s shows.
Baththa’s first Sunday
Vijay Sethupathi’s Baththa had a different job on the same date: prove the opening could grow. Day 4 brought Rs 3.10 crore net from 1,290 shows, the strongest single day of its opening weekend and a 12.7% gain over Saturday’s Rs 2.75 crore. After four days, the film has Rs 10.05 crore India net and Rs 11.68 crore India gross.
Footfalls reached 252,902 on Sunday, lifting the four-day total to 826,693. Afternoon shows led with 62.73% Tamil 2D occupancy, with evening and night above 57%. Tamil Nadu made up Rs 3.00 crore of the Rs 3.60 crore day-4 state-wise gross; Karnataka added Rs 35 lakh, Kerala Rs 20 lakh and APTG Rs 5 lakh.
Why the split matters for planners
These are two different demand curves. Mandaadi is a holdover asset: lower show counts, lower occupancy, but a large installed base of collections and a clear evening peak. Baththa is a launch asset: wider release, higher show count, a Sunday bump and a state concentration in Tamil Nadu. A buyer reading only the top-line gross would miss that.
For entertainment marketers, the practical read is to compare any daily number with its show count, occupancy and footfalls, not with another film at a different lifecycle stage. Mandaadi’s 5.1% Sunday recovery looks modest, but it arrived on more shows and kept the film within Rs 0.60 crore of the Rs 100 crore India net mark. Baththa’s 12.7% bump is strong, but the real test is whether it holds into weekdays.
Watch two data points next: whether Mandaadi’s worldwide share rises as India growth slows, and whether Baththa’s Tamil Nadu skew continues after the Sunday peak.
Source: The Times of India
