Vettaiyan’: The Rajinikanth-starrer shines in the box office with Rs 70 cr on opening day

Superstar Rajinikanth’s much anticipated film, Vettaiyan, made a successful box office debut, grossing an impressive Rs 70 crore worldwide on its opening day.

This performance ranks as the second-highest opening in Tamil cinema in 2024, coming in behind Thalapathy Vijay’s The Greatest of All Time (G. O. A. T.), which amassed a collection of Rs 126 crore on its first day.  

The domestic collection is estimated to be around Rs 46 crore, with Tamil Nadu making up about Rs 22 crore of the box office.

The film, which released on Thursday, is expected to see a rise in the collection over the weekend, driven by the Dussehra holidays.  

Directed by T. J. Gnanavel, the film marks the 170th feature film of Rajinikanth, who last appeared on the big screen in a cameo role in the film Lal Salaam, directed by his daughter Aishwarya Rajinikanth. 

Vettaiyan is an action-drama that follows the story of a police officer who is tasked with solving a horrific crime committed to a young lady.

S. P.  Athiyan (Rajinikanth), takes on the corrupt system, as he faces numerous challenges along the way, in the fight for justice.

The film packs a stellar cast, with Amitabh Bachchan, Manju Warrier, Fahadh Faasil, Rana Daggubati and Dushara Vijayan.

Vettaiyan marks the Tamil debut for Bachchan, who last shared the lead in the big screen with Rajinikanth in the 1991 Hindi film Hum.

Other than Tamil, the film will also be released in Telugu, Kannada and Hindi.

Anirudh Ravichander, who last worked in Devara: Part 1, serves as the music director for Vettaiyan.