Top Kollywood Openers of 2023: Ponniyin Selvan 2 tops; Varisu and Thunivu occupy 2nd and 3rd position

Ponniyin Selvan II is the sequel to the highest Tamil grosser, Ponniyin Selvan I. The first installment of the franchise grossed around Rs 500 crores worldwide.

By Rishil Jogani

Published on Apr 29, 2023 | 09:48 PM IST | 374.6K

Ponniyin Selvan 2 has taken the biggest opening for a Tamil film at the worldwide box office (Credit: Lyca Productions)

Mani Ratnam's Ponniyin Selvan II has taken a very good opening at the worldwide box office. The film is officially the highest Tamil opener of the year as it has grossed Rs 62.31 crores on its opening day. Varisu with Rs 46.5 crores and Thunivu with Rs 42 crores have secured the second and third position respectively, among Tamil films. In all probability, Ponniyin Selvan II, based on its second day hold, looks to emerge as the highest Tamil grosser of the year so far, too.

Ponniyin Selvan II Took A Greater Opening Than Varisu And Thunivu Worldwide Although The Vijay Starrer And The Ajith Starrer Opened Better In The Home State

Varisu and Thunivu both emerged successful ventures with the Thalapathy Vijay starrer grossing over Rs 300 crores while the Ajith Kumar starrer doing a business of slightly over Rs 190 crores worldwide. Interestingly, both Varisu and Thunivu, despite being in a clash, did more business than Ponniyin Selvan II on the first day, in the state of Tamil Nadu. Both Varisu and Thunivu grossed over and around Rs 20 crores while PSII is just over 16 crores in the state. It is safe to say that the international numbers of Ponniyin Selvan II have driven its biz while for Varisu and Thunivu, it was the other way around.

Ponniyin Selvan II Is The Sixth Biggest Tamil Opener Of All Time

Ponniyin Selvan II, pleasantly, has got better reviews than its first part. The opening of PSII, pegged at a little over Rs 62 crores, is lower than its first part that managed to do around Rs 80 crores on its first day. The first part settled being the fourth biggest Tamil opener of all time, behind 2.0, Kabali and Beast and the second part is positioned sixth, behind 2.0, Kabali, Beast, PSI and Sarkar. It is hoped that positive reviews help breach the difference between the first and the second part. At the moment, the film seems to be trending to become the third or the fourth highest Tamil grosser of all time, but time will tell the numbers that it ends up doing.

Ponniyin Selvan II is the biggest Tamil opener of 2023 (Credit: Lyca Productions)