Kaala surpasses Rs 150 Cr mark in 3 weeks; Rajinikanth becomes only south Indian hero with three 150 Cr grossers

Superstar Rajinikanth's Kaala, which released worldwide on 7 June in Tamil, Telugu, and Hindi simultaneously, has surpassed the Rs 150 Cr gross mark in three weeks. The film has pulled in a cumulative theatrical revenue of Rs 159.56 Cr in 22 days. Its business is currently on the brink of completion in all the markets.

Now, Rajinikanth is the only hero from the south to have three Rs 150 Cr grossers in his kitty (Enthiran, Kabali, and Kaala). While Prabhas and Vijay boast two Rs 150 Cr grossers with Baahubali series of films, and Mersal and Theri respectively, Vikram, Chiranjeevi, Ram Charan and Mahesh Babu have one each with I, Khaidi No 150, Rangasthalam and Bharat Ane Nenu. 

Rajinikanth in a still from Kaala. Image via Twitter

In the UK, which is one of Rajinikanth's famous overseas territories, the film has earned only £211,089 (Rs 1.9 Cr), which is a below-par performance for the Superstar. The film is currently the all-time 17th highest Tamil grosser in the region and the lifetime total is well below his previous hits such as Enthiran, Sivaji, Kabali, and Lingaa. 

In the UAE, the film has earned AED 3,403,631 (Rs 6.34 Cr) in 14 days. By the end of the third weekend, the number of entries crossed more than 95,000. In Malaysia, Kaala has raked in a total revenue of MYR 7.2 million (Rs 12.32 Cr) and has become the seventh Tamil film to cross the MYR 7 million mark in the country. It's also the fourth film of Rajinikanth to pass the milestone after Enthiran, Sivaji and Kabali, which became the first south Indian film to breach the MYR 10 million mark in Malaysia during its theatrical run.

In France, Kaala has collected €101,122 (Rs 81 lakhs) with nearly 7K+ admissions. The film performed below Rajinikanth previous hits such as Enthiran, Kabali, and Sivaji in the region. In Australia, the film has earned A$ 495,000 (Rs 3.38 Cr) in three weeks since release. It's currently the fourth highest-grossing Tamil film in the country after Baahubali 2, Kabali and Mersal. 

In North America, one of Rajinikanth's most bankable offshore territories, Kaala has now touched the $1.9 million mark, and we have to wait and see if it scrapes through the $2 million gross. Currently, it's the third highest-grossing film of Rajinikanth in the US after Kabali and Enthiran. 

Back home, in Chennai, nothing seems to have deterred Rajinikanth's stronghold at the ticket window. The film has accrued an excellent total of  Rs 11.38 Cr in 22 days in Chennai, making Rajinikanth the only Tamil hero to have three Rs 10 Cr+ grossers in the city. Now, Kaala has entered the top five all-time grossers in the city at the fifth position, only behind Baahubali 2, Mersal, Kabali, and Theri. 

In Karnataka, the film has taken home earnings of nearly Rs 12.8 Cr in three weeks despite facing release hiccups on opening day. It's currently the fourth highest-grossing Tamil film in the state after Kabali, Mersal, and I. The movie registered a dismal performance in the Andhra states, and trade pundits attribute the failure to the disconnect in the story to Telugu audiences.

Kaala marked the second consecutive collaboration of director Pa. Ranjith and Rajinikanth. Dhanush, who produced the film under his home banner Wunderbar Films, has earned considerable profits thanks to his smart strategy of releasing the movie on his own in major territories in Tamil Nadu. While Rajinikanth's previous film Kabali performed well in overseas regions and below par in domestic markets, it's complete vice-versa in the case of Kaala. 

Despite the low-key initial buzz, a non-festival day and intermittent controversies, Kaala raced past the Rs 100 Cr mark in just four days of release. However, the film never picked up steam after the first week and gradually began to die down towards the end of the second week.