Vijay's Mersal has worked wonders at the worldwide box office. The Tamil film has already garnered "blockbuster" status in trade circles, and is heading towards becoming one of the biggest hits of all time in Kollywood.
Mersal has grossed over Rs 210 crore at the worldwide box office, and is currently ranked at the fourth position among the highest-grossing movies in Tamil after Enthiran (Rs 290 crore), Kabali (Rs 286 crore) and I (Rs 240 crore).
Here, we are listing out major factors that have played key roles in its success.
Vijay
Ilayathalapathy Vijay's star power is possibly the biggest reason for Mersal's success. His presence alone is enough to pull the audience to theatres in big numbers.
It became evident with the movie getting an earth-shattering opening at the worldwide box office: It minting over Rs 47 crore on the first day alone. His fan following is spread across the globe and this ensures that his films do great business.
Good Story
The screenplay might be lacking in the film at parts, but Mersal has all the ingredients a good film should posses to become a hit at the box office.
With the right mix of action, emotions and comedy, the film has struck a chord with viewers.
The message and the serious issue Vijay's film has tackled has been a bonus for the mass as well as the class.
Controversy
The controversy created by the Tamil Nadu BJP came as a boon to Mersal as it helped the movie garner national headlines.
The state unit of the saffron party had demanded the removal of critical dialogues on Goods and Service Tax and digital money from the film.
People who would have otherwise had second thoughts about watching the film apparently decided to watch the Vijay-starrer once the controversy broke. Indeed, it gave free publicty to the Atlee Kumar directorial.
Lack of competition
Deepavali generally has more than one big movie seeing the light of the day in Kollywood.
This time, though, the audience just had only one option in the form of Mersal.
This helped the flick enjoy good footfalls in the extended five-day holiday weekend.
Mass Elements
Any star's movie might afford to give a message to society but at not at the cost of mass elements.
Specifically for an A-list star's film, people come to theatres hoping for good entertainment without the film getting too preachy.
Atlee Kumar has intelligently delivered a message without compromising on the mass elements in Mersal, although he has come under criticism for factually incorrect information in the climax.
Nonetheless, he has been hailed for raising genuine questions about our healthcare industry.
AR Rahman's songs
Aalaporaan Tamizhan, Neethanae and Macho songs in Mersal have impressed the viewers.
They have also been shot well, which has turned out to be one of the attractions of Vijay's flick.
