Leo, the highly anticipated action thriller starring Thalapathy Vijay, Trisha, Sanjay Dutt and Arjun, directed by Lokesh Kanagaraj, has taken the box office by storm on its opening day.
The film released on October 19, 2023 in Tamil, Telugu and Hindi languages has officially reported by the production company that the film collected a whopping ₹148.5 crores worldwide on its first day. It is the biggest opener of Vijay's career and one of the highest-grossing Indian films of all time.
The Seven Screen Studio officially tweeted as “Leo first day worldwide gross collection is 148.5 crores+ 💥 HIGHEST DAY 1 WORLDWIDE GROSS COLLECTION OF THE YEAR FOR AN INDIAN FILM”
The movie recorded high even after the Leo movie leaked online for free download in high quality.
The film has received mixed reviews from critics, who praised Vijay's performance, Lokesh's direction, Anirudh's music and Manoj's cinematography, but criticized the weak script, excessive violence and lack of originality. However, the fans of Vijay and Lokesh have given a thumbs up to the film, which is said to be a re-telling of David Cronenberg's 2005 drama – A History of Violence.
Leo has broken several records at the box office, both in India and overseas. In Tamil Nadu, the film has grossed ₹50 crores+ on its first day, beating the previous record held by Rajinikanth's Petta (2019).
In Kerala, the film has collected ₹10 crores on its opening day, making it the highest opener for a Tamil film in the state. In Telangana and Andhra Pradesh, the film has earned ₹25 crores on its first day, surpassing the collections of Vijay's previous films Master (2021) and Sarkar (2018).
In Hindi belt, the film has raked in ₹15 crores on its first day, becoming the highest opener for a dubbed Tamil film in North India.
Leo has also performed exceptionally well in overseas markets, especially in Australia, New Zealand, Singapore, Malaysia and UAE. The film has grossed ₹40 crores from overseas territories on its first day, making it the second-highest opener for an Indian film overseas after Baahubali 2: The Conclusion (2017).
Leo is expected to continue its strong run at the box office in the coming days, as it faces no major competition from other releases. The film is also likely to benefit from the festive season of Diwali and the positive word-of-mouth from the audience. Leo is produced by S. S. Lalit Kumar and Jagadish Palanisamy under their banner Seven Screen Studio.
