Ajith's Viswasam
Ajith in Viswasam.PR Handout

The Pongal celebration will begin early this time for Tamil cine-goers with the release of Ajith's Viswasam. The Siruthai Siva-directorial film is hitting the screens on 10 January in India, while it is appearing before the audience in a few overseas countries a day before.

Tamil Nadu
Viswasam is clashing with Rajinikanth's Petta at the box office in and outside Tamil Nadu. As a result, the screens are being equally distributed among the two films. In the state, an estimation coming from the industry insider say that the Ajith-starrer is releasing in over 525 screens.

The advance booking has met with positive response from the audience even as there is confusion around special early morning shows. The state government is yet to give permission for the fans' shows. The word from the trade sources is that the first show in Tamil Nadu could commence only after 8 am even if the government gives nod.

Kerala:
Kerala is turning out to be the second big centre for Viswasam in India in terms of screens. The early estimation coming from the industry is that the movie would be releasing in around 175 screens in the state. Nonetheless, the advance booking is yet to gain momentum.

Andhra, Telangana and Karnataka
Due to a few big Telugu releases, Viswasam has found difficult to get required number of screens in Andhra, Telangana and Karnataka. As a result, the dubbed Tollywood version is expected to be released two weeks later. The combined screens for the Ajith's flick from Andhra, Telangana and Karnataka is estimated to be around 200. The reservation for the movie tickets in and around Bengaluru is above average, so far.

US and Gulf
The Siruthai Siva-directorial is releasing big in the US where it has got 100+ screens for its release. It is a big number considering that the film is having its release only in Tamil.

Notably, Viswasam is getting a warm reception in the GCC. The movie, which has Nayanthara playing the female lead, is seeing the light of the day in 93 locations and in over 210 screens. The advance booking has been good in this part of the world.

The rural entertainer will be releasing in many other counties on Thursday, 10 January, like France, Malaysia, Sri Lanka, Australia, Singapore, etc. The total overseas screen count is about 1100 screens.

Overall, Viswasam is expected to register a big opening in Tamil Nadu and a few other counties.

Total Screen Count in Short
Region Screens
Tamil Nadu 525+
Kerala 175+
Rest of India 300+
Overseas 1100
Total: 2100