The Greatest of All Time (GOAT) grossed Rs. 31 crore approx in Tamil Nadu on its first day, which ranks as the fourth-highest first day ever in the state. It is also the fourth film to gross more than Rs. 30 crore in a single day, joining the other three Vijay films in the elite club.
The GOAT could have scored higher and probably be the second-highest opener but there was a big change in the first-day business of Tamil films last year. Prior to last year, the films used to open very early in the morning, with some films starting their shows at 1 AM while most others started at 4 AM. That meant a cinema could play 6 or even 7 shows a day. Last year these early morning starts were outlawed for security reasons, with films permitted to open only from 9 AM onward and a limit of 5 shows a day. This meant a huge reduction in the capacity for the first-day business of the films.
To score Rs. 30 crore in a single day with these limitations is simply incredible. If The GOAT had a release similar to other films in the below list, it would have breached the Rs. 35 crore mark, possibly close to Rs. 40 crore.
The ten highest first-day grossers in Tamil Nadu are as follows:
| Rank | Title | Year | Gross |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Beast | 2022 | Rs. 35.00 cr. |
| 2 | Leo | 2023 | Rs. 34.00 cr. |
| 3 | Sarkar | 2018 | Rs. 32.80 cr. |
| 4 | The GOAT | 2024 | Rs. 31.00 cr. |
| 5 | Valimai | 2022 | Rs. 28.00 cr. |
| 6 | Master | 2021 | Rs. 25.30 cr. |
| 7 | Annaatthe | 2021 | Rs. 24.40 cr. |
| 8 | Bigil | 2019 | Rs. 24.30 cr. |
| 9 | Mersal | 2017 | Rs. 23.30 cr. |
| 10 | Jailer | 2023 | Rs. 22.00 cr. |
Note: 2023 and beyond films started at 9 AM. The others had shows starting from 1-4 AM.
ALSO READ: The GOAT Box Office Collections: Thalapathy Vijay starrer hits USD 5M+ overseas approaching 100cr worldwide first day
