Ghilli Crushes Thunivu at Re-Release Box Office — Thalapathy Vijay’s Classic Wins the Weekend Battle by ₹1.53 Crore

There’s something genuinely special about watching two Tamil superstars fight it out at the box office — even when both films are decades-old re-releases. That’s exactly what happened this weekend as Ghilli (Thalapathy Vijay & Trisha Krishnan) and Thunivu (Ajith Kumar) returned to theatres, and the numbers tell a clear story.

Re-releases have become a legit box office trend in post-pandemic Tamil cinema — and following the phenomenal response to Mankatha’s re-release earlier this year, both camps clearly felt the time was right to bring these beloved masala blockbusters back to the big screen.

Ghilli vs Thunivu Re-Release — Opening Weekend Box Office Comparison

What the Numbers Actually Tell Us

Ghilli posted a solid ₹1.95 crore gross in its opening weekend, with approximately ₹1.70 crore coming exclusively from Tamil Nadu and ₹25 lakh from the rest of India. That’s a healthy run for a 20-year-old sports drama proving fans never truly moved on.

Thunivu, on the other hand, struggled right from Friday — opening at just ₹18 lakh and dropping sharply each day to wrap the weekend at ₹42 lakh. The gap is stark, even accounting for one important context: screen count. While Ghilli played across roughly 250 screens in Tamil Nadu plus pan-India markets, Thunivu was restricted to around 225 screens only in Tamil Nadu with no wider release. Still, even adjusting for screens, Ghilli clearly had stronger audience pull.

The rivalry between Vijay and Ajith fans is one of Tamil cinema’s most passionate fandoms. For more South Indian box office updates and the latest on Tamil cinema news, stay tuned to TechnoSports.

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