Tamil Actioner 'Theri' Scores In India, U.S., U.K. And Australia

Tamil star Vijay’s Theri has continued the hot streak this year of regional films in India and internationally. The action drama featuring Vijay in the dual roles of a police officer and a doting father launched last Thursday during Tamil New Year.

The Atlee Kumar-directed film raked in $924,000 on 282 screens in the U.S., $385,000 on 52 screens in the U.K. and $237,000 on only 17 in Australia, ranked at No. 9, just ahead of Shah Rukh Khan’s Fan, which collected $236,700 on 36 screens.

Released in India in the big states including Karnataka, Tamil Nadu and Kerala, the film produced by V Creations  collected 21 crore ($3.15 million) in its first two days and analysts were predicting a 4-day haul of 45 crore ($6.7 million) . That’s a strong result considering the competition from Fan and the second weekend of Disney’s The Jungle Book. Worldwide the debut was ranked as the seventh biggest for a South Indian release behind Bahubali, Sardaar Gabbar Singh, Lingaa, I, Srimanthudu and Endhiran.

Vijay plays Joseph Kuruvilla, a baker who lives in Kerala with his daughter Nivi (Baby Nainika). When Nivi’s school teacher Annie (Amy Jackson) shows interest in Joseph and follows him, his past is revealed — he was once Vijay Kumar, the deputy commissioner of Chennai. Investigating a rape and murder case, Vijay had incurred the wrath of minister Vanamamalai (Mahendran), who killed Vijay’s mother (Radikaa) and wife Mithra (Samantha Ruth Prabhu). When Joseph realizes Vanamamalai knows his secret identity, he decides to end their enmity.

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In the U.S., Oopiri, director Vamsi Paidipally’s Telugu remake of French blockbuster The Intouchables, which stars Nagarjuna, Karthi, Tamannaah, Prakash Raj, Ali, Jayasudha, Gabriella Demetriades, Anushka, Shriya Saran and Adivi Sesh, has pocketed an impressive $1.55 million after its fourth weekend.

Directed by K. S. Ravindranath and released by Eros International in association with Pawan Kalyan Creative Works and Northstar Entertainment, Sardaar Gabbar Singh has amassed 86 crore ($13 million) in its first 10 days  worldwide.  The Telugu action movie stars Pawan Kalyan as a maverick cop and Kajal Aggarwal as a princess.