Dhanush's latest feature, "Kara", has managed only a worldwide collection of Rs 49.28 crore, reaching almost the 50 crore milestone. After a 10-day run, the film has been doing a daily business of just between the 0.90 crore and 1.35 crore range, as per figures tracked by Sacnilk. Although it has been holding steady in theatres for the last three days, the film has been declared a flop, given its big budget (said to be above 80 crore - reports vary).
So, even when the film reaches the 50-crore worldwide mark, the film would've only recovered approximately 23–25% of its total budget. For a film of this scale to be a hit, it would actually need to gross closer to Rs 200 crore in India alone to be considered truly successful. Besides, today reaching Rs 50 crore for a big star-driven film isn't considered a big deal. For example, Dhanush's previous film, "Idli Kadai", also reached the Rs 50 crore mark but was still seen as a failure because it reportedly failed to earn back its high production costs.
When comparing "Kara" to "Idli Kadai", the performance indicates a clear downward trend in domestic screens, despite the former boasting a relatively much larger scale. While "Idli Kadai" also struggled to recover its budget, its theatrical run was significantly stronger in its first 11 days.
"Idli Kadai" opened to a strong Rs 11 crore net, whereas "Kara" managed just Rs 5.75–6.20 crore net. Interestingly, "Kara" is running on significantly more shows (1,872 vs 1,249 on Day 11), yet collecting less money, indicating that the theatre occupancy for "Kara" is much lower than what "Idli Kadai" enjoyed.
One bright spot, though, for "Kara" is the international market. In its first four days, it earned Rs 9.15 crore overseas, nearly doubling the Rs 5.10 crore "Idli Kadai" collected in the same timeframe. "Idli Kadai" made nearly 66 crore worldwide in 11 days, whereas "Kara" only earned Rs 49.28 crore in the same timeframe. Both films share a similar burden when their overall budget is factored in.
While "Idli Kadai" eventually reached a lifetime gross of approximately Rs 71 crore, it was still declared a "flop" because it only recovered about 50% of its costs. "Kara" is currently tracking even lower, making its path to recovery even more challenging.
