DMK-supporting Dravidianist actor Suriya appears eager to portray Retro, his latest box office flop, as a major success—going so far as to claim a ₹104 crore gross using flashy posters and financial muscle. What’s baffling is that the film has received little to no response from Tamil, Telugu, and Malayalam audiences, yet the team is still planning a celebration. Even more absurd is the fact that many theaters in major cities are empty with wind passing during prime showtimes, making the ₹104 crore claim seem highly exaggerated.
Take Sathyam Cinemas on Thursday evening and night shows, 8 May 2025, for example—hardly anyone showed interest. Only four seats were booked for the evening show, and just eight for the night show. Such visibly low occupancy highlights the lack of interest in Suriya’s Retro, even in a prime location on a weekday evening.
Even the weekend shows on Saturday and Sunday saw little to no pre-bookings. Tickets were easily available at the counter on Sunday, which clearly reflects the poor reception for Suriya’s Retro.
A similar situation was observed at AGS Cinemas in T. Nagar, where only a handful of seats were booked for the prime-time evening and night shows on both Saturday and Sunday.
Released on 1 May 2025, Retro has grossed around ₹50 crore in its first week, according to trade tracker Sacnilk. This figure falls well short of expectations and reflects the film’s lukewarm reception. Despite this, the team went ahead with celebratory events, including a “Thanksgiving meet,” and circulated posters claiming inflated box office numbers.
What’s even more puzzling is the team’s insistence on celebrating a ‘success’ when another small-scale film, Tourist Family, which released on the same day, has reportedly outperformed Retro at the box office. Directed by Karthik Subbaraj, Retro has resonated with only a limited segment of the audience, failing to strike a chord with the wider public.
The exaggerated claims and celebration of a clearly underperforming film suggest a disconnect from reality. While there’s nothing wrong with promoting a film or appreciating the effort behind it, portraying a commercial failure as a blockbuster can backfire and damage the credibility of those involved.
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