After a decent first week, Atharvaa's coming-of-age romantic drama 'Idhayam Murali' has continued to hold its ground at the domestic box office. On its ninth day in theatres (Day 9, second Saturday), the film witnessed a significant surge in collections, earning an estimated net total of approximately ₹1.46 crore in India. This marks a strong 95% jump from its Day 8 earnings of ₹0.75 crore, signaling positive audience word-of-mouth and sustained interest over the second weekend.
With this impressive second Saturday performance, 'Idhayam Murali' has pushed its total India net collection to ₹16.39 crore, while the India gross collection now stands at ₹18.86 crore. The film has also performed well overseas, grossing ₹4.50 crore, which brings its total worldwide gross collection to a commendable ₹23.36 crore.
Second Weekend Rebound Defies Usual Trends
The film's Day 9 collection of ₹1.46 crore is a welcome rebound after a subdued second Friday. The film had concluded its opening week with a solid ₹14.18 crore net in India, driven by a strong weekend performance that saw collections of ₹3.50 crore on Saturday and ₹3.80 crore on Sunday. As expected, the first weekday witnessed a dip, with Monday collecting ₹1.50 crore and Tuesday easing further to ₹1.23 crore. The film collected ₹1.25 crore on Wednesday and ₹1.00 crore on Thursday before dropping to ₹0.75 crore on its second Friday.
The sharp recovery on the second Saturday is particularly noteworthy given the reduction in screen count by approximately 40%. The film recorded a healthy overall Tamil occupancy of 37% on Day 9, up from 24% on Day 8, indicating that audiences are actively seeking out the film despite reduced show counts.
Directed and produced by Aakash Baskaran in his directorial debut, 'Idhayam Murali' stars Atharvaa in the titular role, alongside Kayadu Lohar, Preity Mukhundhan, and Fahadh Faasil in special appearances. The film also features Natty Subramaniam, composer Thaman S (in his return to acting after over two decades), Niharika NM, Sudhakar from the Parithabangal YouTube channel, and Dravid Selvam, among others. The technical team includes cinematographer Manoj Paramahamsa, editor Pradeep E Ragav, and music composed by Thaman S. The screenplay and dialogues have been penned by Aakash Baskaran, Ramanagirivasan, and Dravid Selvam.
Breaking Even Remains the Target
Produced on a reported modest budget of ₹25 crore, the film has currently recovered approximately 65.5% of its budget through net collections in India. The film needs approximately ₹8.61 crore more to break even. With only a few days of uninterrupted run before the release of Thalapathy Vijay's 'Jana Nayagan', which is expected to occupy the majority of screens, 'Idhayam Murali' faces an uphill battle to reach the break-even mark. However, the film's strong second weekend performance suggests that it could still achieve respectable numbers before facing the new competition.
The film's storyline, which revolves around a young man navigating the emotional highs and lows of unrequited love, has resonated with family audiences and youth, contributing to its steady theatrical run. While the film received mixed critical reviews, the actors' performances and Thaman's background score have been particularly appreciated.