Vidaamuyarchi Box Office Day 19: Ajith’s film DIPS ahead of OTT release

Ajith's Vidaamuyarchi struggles at the box office ahead of its OTT debut on Netflix, dropping to ₹7 lakh on Day 19. Will it find redemption on digital platforms?

Written by Shanaz Syed , Journalist

Published on Feb 26, 2025 | 01:50 PM IST | 10.1K

Credit: Lyca Productions Instagram

Tamil superstar Ajith Kumar’s action thriller Vidaamuyarchi, which opened as the biggest Tamil release of 2025, has seen a steep decline at the box office as it approaches its OTT release. After a strong start, the film’s collections have gradually dropped, earning only ₹7 lakh on Day 19, bringing its total domestic earnings to ₹78+ crores.

Directed by Magizh Thirumeni, Vidaamuyarchi saw a sharp fall from its previous earnings, dropping from ₹13 lakh on Monday to ₹7 lakh on Tuesday. While Vidaamuyarchi had a solid first week, collecting ₹72 crore, its momentum has significantly slowed due to word of mouth and various other reasons.

Despite emerging as the top Tamil opener of the year, surpassing Vishal’s Madha Gaja Raja, Vidaamuyarchi failed to sustain its hold at the box office in the following weeks. The film, which minted huge from its Tamil version alone, had a lacklustre performance from the Telugu version while it hasn't seen a Hindi release.

OTT Release on Netflix

With its theatrical run losing steam, Vidaamuyarchi is now set for an OTT debut on Netflix on March 3. The film will be available in Tamil, Telugu, Hindi, Kannada, and Malayalam, offering a wider reach to audiences who missed its theatrical release. Netflix promoted the film with the tagline: “No breaks. No limits. Just Vidaamuyarchi.”

What Went Wrong?

While Vidaamuyarchi generated huge expectations due to Ajith’s star power and an intense action-packed narrative as per the trailer, it struggled with mixed reviews and word-of-mouth reception. The lack of usual mass-star elevation elements has worked against the film's favour. The film, inspired by the 1997 Hollywood movie Breakdown, follows Ajith’s character Arjun, who embarks on a mission to rescue his wife Kayal (Trisha Krishnan) from a dangerous group in Azerbaijan.

For all those reasons, though Vidaamuyarchi got a good opening, the film failed to sustain long-term audience engagement. Now, with its OTT release around the corner, Vidaamuyarchi may find a second life on digital platforms, where it has the chance to reach a broader audience and end up in the Top 5 charts on the global streaming site.