The Tamil film Leo, directed by Lokesh Kanagaraj and starring Vijay, has sparked debate over its box office collections after its producer filed detailed revenue figures with the Income Tax Department.
The film, released in 2023, was initially reported to have collected a record ₹148.55 crore on its first day, surpassing Shah Rukh Khan’s Pathaan, which had released in over 4,000 theaters and collected ₹104 crore on its opening day. Over the following days, the production company, led by Lalith Kumar, announced staggering figures: ₹405.5 crore in four days, ₹461 crore in seven days, ₹540 crore in 12 days, and a total of ₹600 crore, prompting widespread discussion among fans and the industry.
However, the producer’s latest filing with the Income Tax Department clarified that the actual theater revenue stood at ₹160.5 crore. The remaining revenue came from other rights sold prior to and after release, including:
- Digital rights: ₹124 crore
- Audio rights: ₹24 crore
- Hindi distribution rights: ₹24 crore
- South Indian satellite rights: ₹72 crore
This brought the verified total revenue to ₹404.56 crore.
The disclosure has sparked criticism from fans of other actors, who alleged that the film’s earlier promotional campaigns, including a purported “victory ceremony” for achieving ₹600 crore, were misleading. Comparisons were also drawn with Rajinikanth’s Coolie, which is being marketed with exaggerated collection claims. We will probably know the real collection when the producer does his income tax filing next year.
Analysts note that the Leo case highlights the importance of transparency in box office reporting, particularly as digital, satellite, and distribution revenues increasingly supplement theatrical earnings in India.
On the other hand, film producer Dhananjayan has buttressed the numbers saying that revenue is different from gross collections.
“Box office collection is different. If a film has to make ₹100 crore business, it has to collect ₹250 crores as gross. Will he declare gross or actual amount in balance sheet? He won’t say ₹250 crores is gross of which X amount has been paid as tax and to distributor and this is the amount that I’ve received. He won’t say that right?”, Dhananjayan said.
He further went on to say that if only 40-45% of gross collected comes to the producer and said that ₹600 crore of which ₹404 crores is the actual revenue earned by the producer.
Even if we consider what Dhananjayan says is true, and assume that the ₹160 crore reported amount is 50% of total gross collected, then theatrical collection was just ₹320 crore.
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