Kaththi
A still from Kaththi.IB Times India

With the release of a bunch of films last week, the collections of Vijay's "Kaththi" have dropped at Chennai theatres. Meanwhile, small-budget films are slowly gathering momentum in the Chennai box office.

Box office reports of last week by Behindwoods indicate that films including "Vanmam", "Naaigal Jaakirathai" and "Thirudan Police" have received above-average reception last week while the number of screenings for "Kaththi" has dropped considerably in Chennai.

"Vanmam", starring Kreshna, Sunaina and Vijay Sethupathi in the lead roles, was released on 21 November. The film has received above-average response in theatres with 55% of theatre occupancy during the first week.

"Vanmam" had a good number of shows in Chennai for the past three days. Reports suggest the film has satisfactory earnings of over ₹50 lakh and is also experiencing some boost since Sunday afternoon.

Another film, "Naaigal Jaakirathai", which was released on 21 November, has opened to mixed reviews from both critics and audience. The comedy thriller has a star cast of Sibiraj, Arundhathi and Manobal in the lead.

The theatre occupancy of "Naaigal Jaakirathai" is above average with 66% and has collection of over ₹30 lakh in Chennai box office within 3 days. The film had 141 shows since its release and the industry insiders are now expecting the film to pick up more this week in terms of theatre occupancy and box office collections.

"Thirudan Police", which had an impressive start in the first week of its release, had a plunge in its second week. The film had an above-average opening of 65% theatre occupancy during the first week had slipped to 35% on weekdays and 50% on weekends. The film had grossed over ₹10 lakh on weekends and ₹30 lakh on weekdays in the second week with a total collection of over ₹80 lakh in the Chennai box office.

Meanwhile, Vijay's blockbuster movie "Kaththi" slid to fourth position in the Chennai box office in last one week. The average theatre occupancy for the film has dropped to 45% on weekends and 30% on weekdays.

The fifth week collection of the film shows that the film had earned more than ₹4 lakh on weekends and more than ₹10 lakh on weekdays. In total, the Vijay starrer has grossed over ₹7 crore in the Chennai box office alone.

The Tamil film industry, which had mild openings last week, is now expecting a big turnover in December with the release of bug-budget films including Rajinikanth's "Lingaa."