Feb 07, 2026 12:00pm IST
Despite Rajinikanth, Vijay And Ajith’s Stardom, Why Kollywood Is Yet To Enter the ₹1000 Crore Club At The Box-Office
The Tamil film industry, also known as Kollywood, has witnessed several eras and decades of superstars, from Sivaji Ganesan, M.G. Ramachandran, Rajinikanth and Kamal Haasan to Ajith and Vijay. While their craze among fans remains intact, the prospects and dynamics of the box-office have evolved.
In the past, a film’s success was measured by the days and weeks it would run in cinema halls, with achievements like silver (25 weeks) and golden jubilees (50 weeks). Now, box-office figures and wars between fan clubs to push their star’s film numbers higher, have become the new barometer in the Kollywood industry.
Rajinikanth, Kamal Haasan, Vijay and Ajith, who are fondly called as ‘Thalaivar’, ‘Ulaganayagan’, ‘Thalapathy’ and ‘Thala’, respectively, enjoy a massive craze in their home state. In fact, pre-launch events of their biggies bring lakhs of fans together, making the events nothing short of global concerts.
While these stars are treated like gods for their larger-than-life aura, heroism, humongous scale, par technicians and budgets like any big entertainment industry in the world, Kollywood is yet to deliver a ₹1000 crore worldwide grosser, unlike Bollywood, Tollywood and Sandalwood.
As industry expects Rajinikanth’s "Jailer 2" and Vijay's "Jana Nayagan" to turn the tables, Variety India deep dives into why Kollywood is struggling to deliver pan-India and universal blockbusters.
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Pan-India disconnect
Kollywood has mass appeal, star power and entertaining elements; however, it lacks pan-India appeal, a solid marketing strategy, and content that resonates with the northern part of the country.
Poor marketing strategy
Exhibitor and director of Aashirwad Theatres Pvt Ltd, Akkshay Rathie, emphasises, “Tamil films have never been marketed and released widely enough with all the muscle in the markets outside of Tamil Nadu.” Praising Tollywood’s impeccable promotional strategy, which delivered pan-India blockbusters like "Baahubali" (franchise), "Pushpa" (franchise) and "RRR", he adds, “The makers release with the right kind of marketing promotion and distribution in the Hindi-speaking markets along with the Tamil, Telugu, Malayalam and Kannada speaking belts.”
Prominent entertainment industry tracker from Chennai, Ramesh Bala, seconds Rathie’s thought, and says, “SS Rajamouli, NTR Jr and Ram Charan do extensive promotion in the North. Tamil stars shy away from that except Kamal Haasan.”
No face value in the north
Unlike Prabhas, NTR Jr, Allu Arjun, Ram Charan and Mahesh Babu from Tollywood and Yash and Rishab Shetty from Sandalwood, Tamil stars have no solid box office pull in the Hindi market. Bala shares, “Rajinikanth and Kamal Haasan are very popular in North India, but Ajith and Vijay are yet to break into that part in terms of theatrical.
Prominent film trade analyst Komal Nahta voices that apart from Vijay, "There is no youthful hero who is a huge star in Kollywood." Explaining the importance of the Hindi market’s contribution to a film at the global box office, Bala mentions, “In the past, the movies which have grossed ₹1000 crore have at least made ₹400 crore from the Hindi market.” Recalling how 2018’s "2.0" gave Kollywood its highest grosser because of its performance in the Hindi market and pan-India casting, he adds, “The Akshay Kumar factor worked big-time in the northern part, but after that none of the Tamil films managed to recreate that magic.”
Not culturally rooted stories
While Rathie shares that ‘Tamil makers generally make movies that are very deeply entrenched in the cultural insofar of Tamil Nadu, unlike Telangana and Andhra Pradesh’, Ramesh Bala observes that, unlike Tollywood pan-India movies - "RRR", "Pushpa" (franchise) and "Baahubali" (franchise), ‘Kollywood shies away from making content inclined towards spiritualism and Hindu religious elements, which attracts the Hindi speaking market.'
Content over star power
Veteran trade analyst Taran Adarsh opines that Kollywood relies heavily on star power, “Sometimes it all boils down to the content. Star power is important, but it's only beneficial for the first day or two. But after that, on the first day itself, the word of mouth spreads. And that takes the film forward or backwards.”
"Jailer 2" And "Jana Nayagan" for the win?
Rajinikanth starrer "Jailer 2" and Vijay's "Jana Nayagan" have the potential to hit the ₹1000 crore mark at the global box office,’ predicts Bala, because of their unprecedented buzz across the country.
Directed by Nelson Dilipkumar, the movie also features S. J. Suryah, Ramya Krishnan, Vinayakan, Yogi Babu and Mirnaa. On the other hand, Vijay's movie stars Pooja Hegde, Bobby Deol and Mamitha Baiju.
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