BY CHRISTA LINCY

Tamil Nadu's theatrical landscape just witnessed a major policy shift that is being hailed as a life-saving move for the film industry. Chief Minister C. Joseph Vijay, known to his fans as Thalapathy, has officially issued a government order (GO) permitting all cinema halls across the state to screen five shows daily. This landmark decision marks a significant departure from the decades-old regulations that limited daily screenings to four shows. What has changed with the new order? The directive, issued on May 25, 2026, officially amends the Tamil Nadu Cinema Theatres (Regulation) Rules, 1957. Under the previous rules, specifically Condition 14-A, theaters were restricted to four shows a day. A fifth special show was only allowed on specific festive occasions and required separate approval from District Collectors or, in the case of Chennai, the Commissioner of Police. With this new amendment, all newly released films are now permitted to have five daily shows for the first seven days of their release. Most importantly, the government has removed the requirement for theater owners to obtain separate special permission or wait for a specific G.O. to be issued for these shows. This flexibility also extends to all weekends, public holidays, and local festival days throughout the year. (adsbygoogle = window.adsbygoogle || []).push({}) A Direct Result of Industry Outreach This pro-cinema move follows a key meeting on May 16, 2026, where industry representatives met CM Vijay to present a charter of demands aimed at reviving the theatrical business. Just days later, industry veteran Kamal Haasan also met the Chief Minister, presenting a memorandum that highlighted the need for more daily screenings and a government-backed anti-piracy wing. By fast-tracking this specific demand, the CM has sent a clear signal that his administration is committed to the growth of Kollywood. Industry stakeholders have been quick to welcome the news. Exhibitors have noted that this change will help curb the demand that often leads to unauthorized early morning shows and will significantly boost the opening-week collections of big-ticket films. For theater owners, who have been battling the rapid shift toward OTT platforms, the ability to run an extra show without administrative hurdles provides much-needed operational relief. Analytical trends suggest that for a standard multiplex or single screen, adding a fifth show can increase daily revenue capacity by nearly 20 to 25 percent during peak demand periods. This move is expected to have a cascading effect on the box office records of upcoming releases, as the increased show count naturally expands the ceiling for Day 1 and opening weekend numbers. As Tamil cinema enters this more flexible era of exhibition, the focus now shifts to how the industry will utilize this extra capacity to battle piracy and bring audiences back to the big screen.

BY CHRISTA LINCY

As Krishnavataram Part 1: The Heart moves through its nineteenth day, the daily collections are starting to level off. The film earned around 0.75 Crore net on its third Monday across 1,587 shows, marking around 63 per cent drop from the 2.05 Crore it collected on Sunday. While this decline is standard for a weekday, it brings the total India net collection to 29.82 Crore and the gross to 35.18 Crore. When we look at the financial health of the project, the situation is quite challenging. With a reported production cost of 60 Crore, the movie is currently underperforming and struggling to reach even the halfway mark for cost recovery. However, in a year that has seen mixed results for many Hindi releases, Krishnavataram Part 1: The Heart still manages to secure a spot in the top 10 highest-grossing Hindi films of 2026 so far, currently sitting at rank number 9 in terms of total gross volume. (adsbygoogle = window.adsbygoogle || []).push({}) While the film is still working toward recovering its production costs, its current collection volume places it among the highest-grossing Hindi releases of the year so far. It currently stands as the ninth highest-grossing Hindi film of 2026. Here is how the top ten list looks so far: Dhurandhar 2: The Revenge: ₹1,800+ Cr Border 2: ₹450.19 Cr Bhooth Bangla: ₹260.97 Cr(As of day 39) O Romeo: ₹110.81 Cr Mardaani 3: ₹76.27 Cr The Kerala Story 2: Goes Beyond: ₹62.39 Cr Pati Patni Aur Woh Do: ₹50.52 Cr(As of day 11) Ikkis: ₹41.65 Cr Krishnavataram Part 1: The Heart: ₹35.18 Cr(As of day 19) Chand Mera Dil: ₹18.02 Cr(As of day 4) Looking at the broader scale of the release, the film has completed a total of 34,359 shows across the country since its opening day. What stands out in the data is that the entire worldwide gross of 35+ Crore has been generated solely within the domestic market. This underlines the film's heavy reliance on the local audience as it continues its struggle toward a stable financial finish. (adsbygoogle = window.adsbygoogle || []).push({}) Breaking down the performance in the major national multiplex chains for the day, we see a very limited flow of revenue. Across PVR, INOX, and Cinepolis, the film collected about 7.1 Lakhs gross from roughly 3.2K tickets sold. Looking at individual chains, INOX led with 2.8 Lakhs, followed by PVR with 2.5 Lakhs, and Cinepolis with 1.8 Lakhs. The average occupancy across these specific venues stayed low at 2.38 per cent across 775 shows. Despite the slowing pace, the film still saw 22.64K tickets booked on BookMyShow this Monday, bringing the total ticket count across its entire run to approximately 765K. Geographically, Mumbai remains the most active region with 20.0 per cent occupancy for its 92 shows. Ahmedabad and the National Capital Region followed with 12.0 per cent and 11.8 per cent, respectively. Meanwhile, Surat saw much lower engagement with only 4.3 per cent occupancy. In terms of total language-wise contribution, the Hindi version is carrying the bulk of the weight with a net of 27.10 Crore. The Telugu and Tamil versions have added 2.30 Crore and 0.42 Crore, respectively, to the domestic total. As the film concludes its third week, the primary focus will be to see how much further it can push its totals before its eventual digital transition, as the theatrical window starts to narrow significantly.

BY CHRISTA LINCY

Raja Shivaji is currently moving through its fourth week, and the Monday numbers provide a clear picture of how the film is settling into its long-term run. The historical drama has already carved out a significant space at the box office, particularly in the Marathi-speaking regions, and it is now focused on reaching its next major cumulative milestones. The film collected a net of 0.45 Crore on Day 25 across 838 shows. This Day 25 performance represents a 65 per cent drop from the previous day’s net collection of 1.30 Crore. This is a very standard and expected trend for a working Monday after a fourth weekend. These latest figures bring the total India net collections to 92.45 Crore and the domestic gross to 109.38 Crore. In the international market, the film has an overseas gross of 4.22 Crore, which pushes the total worldwide gross collection to approx. 113.50 Crore so far. Looking at the ticket sales momentum, the film recorded approximately 15.51K bookings on BookMyShow this Monday. This brings the total ticket count on the platform to over 25.21 Lakhs across its 25-day theatrical run. Maintaining this level of ticket demand nearly a month into its release is a strong indicator of the film's consistent appeal, especially among family audiences. (adsbygoogle = window.adsbygoogle || []).push({}) In the major national multiplex chains, Raja Shivaji saw a steady flow of audience. Between PVR, INOX, and Cinepolis, a total of approximately 2.2K tickets were sold, bringing in a gross of 3.9 Lakhs for the day. If we look at the chain-wise breakdown, INOX led the contribution with 2.1 Lakhs, followed by Cinepolis with 1.2 Lakhs, and PVR at 0.6 Lakhs. INOX recorded the highest occupancy among these chains at 9.38 percent across 80+ shows. The regional performance remains heavily driven by the Marathi version, which contributed 0.47 Crore to the day's net. The overall occupancy for Marathi screenings was 21.0 percent. Pune remains a major stronghold with 28.5 percent occupancy across 100 shows, with evening screenings peaking at 38.0 percent. Mumbai also showed healthy engagement with 21.8 percent occupancy for its 107 shows. On the other hand, the Hindi version added 0.07 Crore net with an overall occupancy of 8.0 percent across 272 shows. In cities like Ahmedabad and Surat, the occupancy hovered around 7.3 percent, while the National Capital Region (NCR) saw slightly higher engagement at 8.3 percent. Looking at the total language-wise split, the Marathi version has collected 67.75 Crore net while the Hindi version stands at 24.70 Crore. This two-language release approach helped the film comfortably pass the 100 Crore worldwide gross mark. As the film completes its fourth week, the steady occupancy in its primary markets indicates it will keep adding to its total before the next set of theatrical releases arrive.

BY CHRISTA LINCY

Dhanush fans have been eagerly waiting for the next update on his gritty action thriller, Kara, and the news is finally here. Following its theatrical release earlier this year, the film is now set to reach a much wider audience through its digital debut. Directed by Vignesh Raja, who previously impressed everyone with the investigative thriller Por Thozhil, Kara brought together a powerhouse combination of Dhanush's intense performance and the high production values of Kamal Haasan's RKFI. The buzz surrounding the film was significant from the start, especially with Kamal Haasan producing it under a massive budget of 135 Crores. Where and when to stream Kara on OTT? After completing its theatrical window, the makers have locked in the digital premiere. Netflix has officially secured the digital streaming rights for the film in a deal reported to be around 50 Crores. Kara is scheduled to start streaming on Netflix from May 28, 2026. To cater to Dhanush's massive pan-India following, the platform will release the film in its original Tamil version along with dubbed versions in Telugu, Hindi, Malayalam, and Kannada. This move to Netflix on May 28 allows viewers across the country to experience this period heist thriller on their screens. What is the story of Kara? The film is a unique heist thriller set in 1991 against the realistic backdrop of the Gulf War fuel crisis. The narrative follows Karasaami, popularly known as Kara, a reformed thief who returns to his village in Ramanathapuram after years. His plan is simple: sell his ancestral land to fund his dream of opening a canteen with his wife. However, he quickly discovers that his village is being strangled by a corrupt rural bank manager and a ruthless police officer who exploit the farmers through predatory debt cycles. This discovery forces Kara to return to his criminal roots, leading to a high-stakes, realistic heist aimed at reclaiming the villagers’ mortgaged assets and delivering justice. If we look at the financial performance, Kara's run has been a mix of steady collections and heavy production costs. While the 135 Crore budget puts it in the flop category theatrically, the film has remarkably managed to become the 6th highest-grossing Tamil movie of all time so far this year(in terms of collection). As of day 26(4th Monday) it secured a worldwide gross of ₹53.68Cr(approx), showing consistent interest from the audience despite the high stakes. A significant portion of this success came from the international markets, where a strong overseas performance helped provide a much-needed cushion to the domestic totals. Kara: Total Box Office Collection (As of Day 26 Approx) CATEGORY COLLECTION (INR) India Net Collection ₹ 37.53 Cr India Gross Collection ₹ 43.18 Cr Overseas Collection ₹ 10.50 Cr Worldwide Total ₹ 53.68 Cr Kara: Frequently Asked Questions (FAQs) Is Kara a hit or a flop? Kara is technically a Box Office Flop when compared to its high budget of 135 Crores. However, it ranks as the 6th highest-grossing Tamil film of 2026 in terms of total gross volume, collecting over 53.68 Crores worldwide. Where to stream Kara on OTT? The film will be available for streaming exclusively on Netflix in Tamil, Telugu, Hindi, Malayalam, and Kannada versions. Who is the director of Kara? The film is directed by Vignesh Raja, the director known for the critically acclaimed 2023 thriller Por Thozhil. What is the OTT release date for Kara? The confirmed OTT release date for Kara is May 28, 2026, nearly four weeks after its theatrical debut.

BY SUNIT JANGIR

Kochi, May 26 - Megastar Mohanlal's crime suspense thriller Drishyam 3 has topped the 150 crores milestone at the worldwide box office after a good hold on its first working day. Despite mixed reviews, the film continues to benefit from the franchise's legacy to pull in solid numbers. According to estimates, Drishyam 3 collected over 8.50+ crores gross on its first Monday at the domestic box office, which took its total gross to around 71.75+ crores in India in 5 days. The film witnessed a drop of around 50% from its Thursday opening day, and just around 30% from Friday, which is a solid hold for a film with mixed reception. (adsbygoogle = window.adsbygoogle || []).push({}) At the overseas box office, Jeethu Joseph's directorial has grossed an estimated 84 crores so far, pushing the total worldwide collection to around 155 crores in 5 days. With this, it has become the second Malayalam film of 2026, and the third for superstar Mohanlal to achieve the feat after Thudarum and Empuraan.After just five days of its box office run, the third instalment in the blockbuster franchise has become the 8th highest-grossing Malayalam film of all time. The film is expected to enter the 200 crores club during the second weekend to become the sixth Mollywood title to do so. As reported earlier, the box office trajectory of Drishyam 3 is pretty much similar to Mohanlal's L2: Empuraan. Both films carry a similar perception among the audience, but benefited largely from franchise value and star power. Empuraan finished its theatrical run with 265+ crores gross after the monstrous opening weekend collection of around 175 crores. (adsbygoogle = window.adsbygoogle || []).push({}) Top 10 Highest-Grossing Malayalam Films Worldwide S. No. Movie Worldwide Gross 1 Lokah Chapter 1: Chandra ₹ 303.85 Cr 2 L2: Empuraan ₹ 266.80 Cr 3 Manjummel Boys ₹ 241.00 Cr 4 Thudarum ₹ 235.40 Cr 5 Vaazha II: Biopic of a Billion Bros ₹ 235.25 Cr 6 2018 ₹ 180.00 Cr 7 Aadujeevitham: The GOAT Life ₹ 157.60 Cr 8 Drishyam 3 ₹ 155.00+ Cr* 9 Aavesham ₹ 154.80 Cr 10 Sarvam Maya ₹ 151.25 Cr As of May 25, 2026

BY SUNIT JANGIR

Mumbai, May 25 - The Indian box office was heavily tilted towards regional cinema during the May 22-24 weekend, with the strong debut Malayalam blockbuster Drishyam 3 and Marathi film Deool Band 2, as regional films comfortably outperformed Bollywood releases for the second weekend in a row. On top of that, Suriya's Karuppu continued to attract strong footfalls in the second weekend, also after the blockbuster opening frame. Drishyam 3 Continues Franchise Legacy With Blockbuster Debut (adsbygoogle = window.adsbygoogle || []).push({}) The third instalment in director Jeethu Joseph's crime thriller franchise once again stayed true to the franchise legacy after an excellent opening weekend at the Indian box office. After the huge opening day upon its Thursday release, Drishyam 3 continued its phenomenal run across Kerala and other domestic markets over the weekend despite mixed word of mouth. Drishyam 3 continued to benefit from the franchise value as Drishyam 3 is easily the biggest film series to come out of Malayalam cinema. It scored the second biggest opening day, followed by the second biggest weekend for a Malayalam trend, and advances for Monday indicate that the film is up for a solid run, especially in Kerala. Karuppu Maintains Excellent Momentum (adsbygoogle = window.adsbygoogle || []).push({}) Suriya's fantasy action drama Karuppu remained the top choice at the Tamil Nadu box office for the second weekend in a row, after scoring one of the biggest 2nd weekend for a Tamil film. Backed by excellent audience response, the movie continued its successful theatrical journey and moved closer to new worldwide milestones. During the weekend, RJ Balaji's directorial entered the 100 crores gross club in Tamil Nadu, making it the first instance for a Suriya-starrer, thus creating history for the actor. It also went past 200 crores gross at the global box office, which is also the first time for the Singam actor, as the film continues to reach new milestones. Deool Band 2 Emerges As A Surprise Winner (adsbygoogle = window.adsbygoogle || []).push({}) The Marathi devotional drama Deool Band 2 sustained its superb trend at the box office with excellent occupancy in Maharashtra in the first weekend. Family audiences continued to support the film in large numbers, helping it dominate several centres despite competition from bigger releases. The film has now emerged as one of the breakout successes of the month. Chand Mera Dil Underperforms As Pati Patni Aur Woh Do Holds Steady Dharma Production's romantic drama, Chand Mera Dil, starring Lakshya and Ananya Panday, failed to generate the expected theatrical momentum. Despite a decent, visible promotional campaign, the film struggled against the dominance of regional cinema due to mixed word of mouth. Although there was some improvement over the weekend, the overall box office performance remained below expectations. Ayushmann Khurrana's romantic-comedy entertainer, Pati Patni Aur Woh Do managed to maintain a decent hold on low levels during the weekend, especially in multiplex-heavy urban centres. While the overall collections remained low, the film managed to escape the free fall due to limited competition despite mixed word of mouth. (adsbygoogle = window.adsbygoogle || []).push({}) Top 5 Weekend Grossers At Indian Box Office (May 22-24) S. No. Movie Weekend Collection Total Domestic Collection 1 Drishyam 3 ₹ 45.00 Cr ₹ 63.35 Cr 2 Karuppu ₹ 40.55 Cr ₹ 172.40 Cr 3 Deool Band 2 ₹ 15.70 Cr ₹ 18.60 Cr 4 Chand Mera Dil ₹ 13.25 Cr ₹ 13.25 Cr 5 Pati Patni Aur Woh Do ₹ 8.80 Cr ₹ 43.25 Cr Note: Gross collection*