Suriya’s highly anticipated fantasy action film Kanguva was one of the most hyped releases of the year in Kollywood. However, despite massive expectations, the film opened to poor reviews and failed to generate momentum over its first weekend. This has resulted in Kanguva becoming one of the biggest box office disasters in Kollywood history.
The overseas rights for the film were sold for a staggering ₹40 crore, marking one of the highest deals ever for a South Indian movie. Unfortunately, the film grossed only ₹24 crore overseas, with a share of around ₹10 crore, leading to a significant loss of ₹30 crore in the international market alone—making it the biggest overseas flop for a South Indian film.
The scenario in other territories was no different. Distributors across regions reportedly incurred losses of up to 75% on their investments. Despite being projected to cross the ₹100 crore mark on its opening day or within two days, the film took 11 days to reach this milestone. The worldwide closing gross stands at just ₹105 crore, far below the breakeven target of ₹400 crore. This means the recovery is a mere 25% of the total investment.
With the team, including director Siva and actor Suriya, facing such a massive setback, it remains to be seen how they bounce back from this debacle and what lessons will shape their future projects.
