Second Quarter 2016 Tamil Movies Report

In contrary to the first quarter which saw the release of about half-a-dozen hit films, the second quarter saw only two releases that went on to become hits. While Vijay’s Theri was a blockbuster hit, Vishnu Vishal’s Velainu Vandhutta Vellaikaaran made everyone involved with the film happy.

MovieCrow’s Picks from Second Quarter of 2016

• Best Entertainer - Theri 

• Critics’ Favourite - Iraivi 

• Director - Vijay kumar (Uriyadi) 

• Actor - SJ Suryah (Iraivi) 

• Actress - Nivetha Pethuraj (Oru Naal Koothu) 

• Screenplay - Vijay kumar (Uriyadi)

• Cinematographer -  Tirru (24)

• Editor - Prawin Pudi (24) 

• Music Director - Justin Prabhakaran (Oru Naal Koothu) 

Vijay bounces back with a blockbuster

After the forgettable Puli, Vijay came back strong with Theri, which went on to become a blockbuster hit. Director Atlee played to the strengths of Vijay and even though the script was predictable, Vijay’s charisma made the film click across all centres.

Vishnu Vishal gives a mainstream hit

Actor Vishnu Vishal, who is known for acting in offbeat films, produced and acted in Velainu Vandhutta Vellaikaaran, which became a runaway hit. This comedy entertainer directed by Ezhil was received well by the family audiences.

Critically acclaimed films fail to pull crowd

Director Karthik Subbaraj’s Iraivi received rave reviews from the critics, but the movie wasn’t entertaining for the movie buffs, and the family audiences also preferred to skip it due to its explicit theme. Debutant Vijay Kumar’s Uriyadi was a bold take on caste-based politics, but due to lack of star power, the movie couldn’t sustain at the box office.

Notable attempts that couldn’t become hits

Suriya’s 24, directed by Vikram K Kumar was a novel attempt based on time travel, but the movie couldn’t strike a chord with the mainstream movie buffs. Also, since the movie released during elections in Tamil Nadu, it didn’t receive undivided attention.  STR - Nayanthara’s Idhu Namma Aalu and Oru Naal Koothu were breezy entertainers, but they also did not make a big impact at the box office. Udhayanidhi’s Manithan received positive reviews and was a moderate success at the multiplexes, while it couldn’t draw crowd across B and C centres. Last week’s releases – Amma Kanaku, Metro and Raja Mandhiri received decent reviews, but they are unlikely to turn hits due to the hectic release schedules.

The so-called sequels bombed

Wanting to capitalize on the previous hit films, production houses tried to repeat the success with so-called sequels – Darling 2, Jithan 2 and Ko 2, but all of them sank without a trace at the box office as they couldn’t create the buzz like their prequels.

Neither great reviews nor box office success

Sasikumar’s Vetrivel, GV Prakash’s Pencil & Enakku Innoru Per Irukku, Nakul’s Narathan, Vaibhav’s Hello Naan Pei Pesuren, Vishal’s Marudhu and Sundar C’s Muthina Kathirikkai neither impressed the critics nor the film buffs.

Hollywood films eat into Tamil Films' market

Ironically, there were three blockbuster Hollywood hits in Tamil Nadu - The Jungle Book, Captain America: Civil Wars and The Conjuring 2, while Independence Day: Resurgence has also taken a very good opening last week. Popular multiplexes preferred to allot the bigger screens to Hollywood films and even the smaller screens made merry by exhibiting the dubbed version of these movies.

Piracy rampage

Piracy went to an all-new alarming level, as movies were released on the web on the same day of their release. Suriya's 24 was illegally shot at a popular multiplex chain in Bangalore, and it created a huge furore among the film fraternity. If piracy is unchecked, film industry is further going to suffer.

The third quarter of 2016 will most probably belong to Superstar Rajinikanth and team, as their Kabali will storm into the silver screens.

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Related Links:

First Quarter 2016 Tamil movies report