The Diwali season saw three releases from Tamil cinema - Dude, Bison Kaalamaadan and Diesel in a three-way battle. The bigger screencount was for Dude, given that it was an out-and-out entertainer with the in-form Pradeep as the lead. Bison Kaalamaadan got the next best release, due to Mari Selvaraj's reputation and buzz around the promos. Diesel, meanwhile, had a very fractured release.
The box office battle has realistically been only between Dude and Bison Kaalamaadan as Diesel barely took off. Pradeep's comedy entertainer is the Diwali winner by a countrymile but Bison Kaalamaadan is also set to emerge a success due to excellent word-of-mouth that has powered the film across all circuits.
Tamil Nadu box office
In the core market Tamil Nadu, Dude took an excellent start, grossing Rs 39 crore in the five-day Diwali weekend but has seen huge drops on Day 6 and Day 7. The first week gross collections for Dude in the state are at Rs 43.80 crore.
Meanwhile, Bison Kaalamaadan took a very slow start but has seen a superb trend with collections holding up well. The Dhruv-starrer grossed Rs 24 crore in the five-day weekend and it's first week collections are at Rs 29.30 crore.
India box office
Dude has seen excellent numbers outside TN with the Telugu states witnessing a first week gross of Rs 14.30 crore while Karnataka has a gross of Rs 5 crore. In Kerala, the film has touched Rs 2.75 crore. The overall India gross in its first week is Rs 66.60 crore.
Bison Kaalamaadan has seen low revenue outside Tamil Nadu but it's pre-release deals were also of very low value, meaning that it will be profitable for all involved. The Karnataka gross is Rs 1.50 crore while it has collected Rs 78 lakh in Kerala. The first week India gross stands at Rs 32 crore
Worldwide box office
Overseas, Dude has grossed Rs 23 crore, taking its worldwide first week gross to Rs 90 crore. Bison Kaalamaadan has grossed Rs 5.40 crore and its worldwide first week gross stands at Rs 37.50 crore.
