Mysskin's Pyscho tops Tamil Nadu and Chennai box office; Disco Raja makes Rs 5.4 cr on opening day

Mysskin made his return to the big screen with his new directorial, Psycho, starring Udhayanidhi Stalin, Nithya Menen, and Aditi Rao Hydari. This chilling, extremely violent flick has got a surprisingly warm welcome by the audience, particularly in urban and semi-urban centers of Tamil Nadu.Psycho topped the weekend box office in the state, unseating Rajinikanth’s Darbar, which was reigning over the past few weeks. Psycho grossed around Rs 7.1 crore in Tamil Nadu after its opening, with Chennai city contributing a cumulative total of Rs 1.44 crore (Rs 44 lakh + Rs 48 lakh + Rs 52 lakh). The film is expected to have a good run in urban centers for the next couple of weeks. Psycho is a welcome success for Udhay, while it strengthens Mysskin’s brand as a radical filmmaker.[caption id="attachment_7946601" align="alignnone" width="825"]

A still from Psycho. Image from YouTube[/caption]Meanwhile, Darbar has certainly slowed down at the box office. It has reportedly pulled in close to Rs 90 crore in Tamil Nadu after its third weekend, with the Chennai city gross being Rs 14.62 crore. Darbar has the potential to cross the Rs 15 crore in Chennai. It must be noted that the Rajinikanth-starrer is already the top 5 grossers of all time in Chennai. The AR Murugadoss-directed cop action drama, produced by Lyca, has made more than Rs 200 crore worldwide in theatrical revenue with good numbers coming in from Karnataka and the Telugu states.The other big Pongal release in the Tamil industry, Pattas,  has also exhausted the majority of its box office business. This Dhanush-starrer, which sees him in dual roles, has grossed Rs 28.7 crore in the state after a 12-day run; the Chennai gross of the film is Rs 2.83 crore. The Pongal festive mood and the corresponding holidays have certainly boosted the collection figures of this Sathya Jyothi Films' production, directed by Durai Senthil Kumar.The Telugu Sankranti releases, Ala Vaikunthapurramuloo and Sarileru Neekevvaru continue to dominate the market place. While the former has established its standing as the non-Baahubali Tollywood hit, the latter has also registered some fantastic figures across territories.Interestingly, Ala Vaikunthapurramuloo and Sarileru Neekevvaru have both collected more than Rs 1 crore each in Chennai. This is a great feat considering these films had limited screens due to the presence of Tamil features. Ala Vaikunthapurramuloo will be the longer runner compared to the two, due to the overwhelming acceptance from the audience.Ravi Teja’s Disco Raja, which arrived in cinemas on 24 January, has opened to a tepid response at the ticket window. The film is being touted as a unique mix of action and sci-fi. Unfortunately, it seems like the actor’s recent dismal run at the box office is likely to continue. Disco Raja has only earned Rs 5.4 crore on its opening day.A new slate of Tamil language features will be out on 31 January. Comedy star Santhanam may have two releases — Dagaalty and Server Sundaram (The film has faced a delay for almost three years ). The much-delayed Naadodigal 2 and a few smaller films like Maayanidhi are also expected to release on the same day.Despite all these new releases, Psycho is expected to continue its good run into its second week as well.