Made on a budget of Rs 400 crore, will see light of day in over 1,500 screens worldwide after clearing multiple hurdles. These included being sent to the revising committee several times and eventually receiving an ‘A’ certificate, which restricts Vijay’s teenage fanbase from viewing it.

“The ‘A’ certification will have barely a 20% impact on collections, and that too only after the second week, not immediately.

His fans will want repeat watches in the first 10 days,” says C Ganesh, director of Kamala Cinemas. “The film opens with a proper one-minute title card crediting ‘Chief Minister Vijay in Jana Nayagan’. Audiences will want to capture that moment on their phones. We will replay key moments with LED lights flashing across the hall, and my sons will personally manage the operator’s room for the first 10 days,” Ganesh says, adding that recent leaks will not affect footfalls.

“A few tweaks were made after the leak, and people want the big-screen experience anyway. All theatres in Tamil Nadu are housefull for the first 10 days. We opened bookings for the 25th day, and seats filled up in just 90 seconds,” he remarks.

Tirupur Subramaniam, distributor and president of the Theatre Owners’ Association of Tamil Nadu, feels the full picture will emerge after the first show. “For now, bookings are strong in cosmopolitan cities for the next few days. First-day shows are booked out in tier-two and tier-three cities, but the trend there will pick up only after the initial audience verdict. The ‘A’ certificate will lead to a drop in family audiences in subsequent weeks. That will definitely come into play,” he adds.