Box office: Thalaivii ends first week on a low, Shang Chi earns well in India

The Kangana Ranaut-starrer Thalaivii completed its first week in theatres on a low note. Directed by AL Vijay, the biopic of the late actress-turned-Tamil Nadu chief minister J Jalayalithaa could collect only Rs6.75 crore nett in the period in all three languages of its release, Tamil, Telugu and Hindi, according to trade website BoxOfficeIndia.com.

According to trade sources, Thalaivii was made at a cost of about Rs75 crore and the collection so far is negligible as compared to the film's budget.

But Thalaivii has faced its share of challenges. Like other recent films, this one also could not be released in Maharashtra since theatres in the state are still shut. On top of that, its Hindi version was boycotted by India’s top three multiplex chains, PVR, Inox and Cinepolis. This also hurt the film and the Hindi version could contribute to only Rs1.50 crore to its overall collection.

Meanwhile, the Hollywood movie Shang Chi And The Legend Of Ten Rings collected Rs6.50 crore in its second week in India. Its two-week total now stands at a decent Rs22 crore.

Another Hollywood movie, Fast & Furious 9, registered a drop in numbers in its second week in India, managing a collection of just Rs2.75 crore nett. Despite the popularity of the franchise in the country, the total its ninth instalment has got so far is a meagre Rs14.25 crore, partly because of piracy. The film was released in the US in June and many fans in India watched pirated versions online before its release here.