Kollywood 2024: Is Tamil film industry witnessing repetition of 2014 box-office trends?

Chennai: Discussions are rife in Kollywood media about the current state of Tamil cinema in 2024. The journey began with the poor box office performance of big Pongal releases like Dhanush's Captain Miller and Sivakarthikeyan's Ayalan.

Meanwhile, low-budget films like Rubber Ball and Maharaja made significant strides at the box office in the second half of the year. However, one of the most anticipated films of the year, Indian 2, directed by Shankar and starring Kamal Haasan, failed miserably and faced heavy trolling.

Suriya's Kanguva, directed by Siruthai Siva, is facing a similar situation with negative reviews and trolling. Movie trade analyst Christopher Kanagaraj compares the current state of Tamil cinema to 2014.

In 2014, Superstar Rajinikanth had two releases: Linga and Kochadaiiyaan. Both failed to perform well. A similar scenario seems to be unfolding in 2024 with Lal Salaam and Vettaiyan. Lal Salaam, directed by Rajini's daughter Aishwarya, was a dismal failure, while Vettaiyan, directed by Jai Bhim director TJ Gnanavel, received mixed responses.

The highest-grossing Tamil film of 2024 so far is Vijay's Leo, directed by Lokesh Kanagaraj. Similarly, the highest-grossing Tamil film of 2014 was Vijay's Thuppakki, directed by AR Murugadoss.

Sivakarthikeyan, known as SK, created a surprise hit in 2024 with Maaveeran. Similarly, he surprised Kollywood with Maan Karate in 2014.

Suriya's Anjaan, directed by Linguswamy, released with high expectations in 2014 but failed. Kanguva, directed by Siva, seems to be facing a similar fate in 2024.

Dhanush's 25th film, VIP, released in 2014 was a big hit. His 50th film, Raayan, which he directed himself, was released in 2024.

Sundar C's first Aranmanai film released in 2014 was a big success. Similarly, Aranmanai 4 film was released in 2024 and entered the Rs 100 crore club.