Vijay's popularity takes giant leap; Bigil set to earn Rs 220+ crore even before release

Vijay has made it a habit to raise the bar with each of his films at the box office. He is the only actor in Kollywood whose films have consistently performed at the collection centres in recent years. Irrespective of the film's fate at the box office, his flicks on TV have ensured good viewership, which makes him the most bankable actor of his generation.

So, it is not surprising to see the investors having faith in him to recover their investment. The demand for his latest film Bigil gives clear indication of it. The Atlee Kumar-directorial is expected to set a new benchmark for him as its pre-release business is expected to cross Rs 220-crore mark, a feat that only Rajinikanth's films have achieved in Kollywood.

The makers of Bigil have reportedly closed the deals over overseas rights by selling it to United India Exporters and X Gen Studio for a record price of Rs 30 crore. The audio rights have been acquired by Sony Music for a rumoured price of Rs 3.5 crore, while Sun TV has bagged the satellite rights of all languages (except Hindi) for Rs 30 crore.

There are a few distributors who have thrown their hats in the ring to acquire the Tamil Nadu rights of the film, funded by AGS Entertainment. If the rumours from the industry are to be believed, they are willing to shell out about Rs 80 crore for it.

Vijay has a good fan following in other South Indian states like Karnataka, Kerala, Andhra and Telangana. This ensures Bigil will do well in these states as well. Trader trackers predict the flick to easily fetch over Rs 25 crore from South India for the producer, from the sale of theatrical rights.

The makers are expecting to earn somewhere around Rs 25-28 crore from the sale of Hindi dubbing and satellite rights. The digital rights of the film, which has Nayanthara in the female lead, are valued at Rs 25 crore. Check out the break-up below:

The numbers clearly indicate that Vijay's popularity and marketability have increased by leaps and bounds as his films had not earlier crossed Rs 200 crore mark.