The box office story of Parasakthi has unravelled with stunning speed. What was aggressively projected as a prestige Pongal release has now turned into one of the fastest collapses ever witnessed for a big-ticket Tamil film during the festive week.
After a fan-driven opening weekend on 10 January 2026, the film suffered a brutal reality check on its very first Monday, exposing the complete absence of audience “hold” and confirming that neutral viewers had decisively rejected the film.
From Double Digits To Disaster In 72 Hours
On Monday, 12 January 2026, Parasakthi managed to earn only ₹3 crore, a catastrophic 70–80% crash from Sunday’s ₹10.1 crore collections. The film’s highest single-day earnings remain its opening day figure of ₹12.5 crore on Saturday; a peak it never came close to again.
According to Sacnilk, the film’s total India net after three days stands at approximately ₹25–26 crore, with multiple trade estimates placing Monday’s actual net below ₹2 crore.
In box-office terms, this is not just a drop – it is a collapse.
Major Pongal releases typically face a 50-60% weekday decline. Parasakthi plunged by nearly 80%, failing the most basic industry benchmark: the first weekday test.
Empty Theatres, No Family Audience
Monday occupancy in Tamil Nadu reportedly stood at a dismal 18.05%, confirming what exhibitors feared, the film exhausted its entire audience within the opening weekend itself. Once the fan-driven rush evaporated, theatres were left empty.
This sharp fall makes it clear that Parasakthi failed to attract family audiences, repeat viewers, and neutral moviegoers.
In short, anyone beyond a narrow ideological and fan base.
“Prestige Project” Turns Liability
Starring Sivakarthikeyan and directed by Sudha Kongara, the film was touted as a politically charged period epic on the 1960s anti-Hindi agitation. Instead, audiences responded with indifference or outright rejection, citing dull and preachy screenplay, sluggish pacing, heavy-handed political messaging.
Trade circles are already calling it one of Sivakarthikeyan’s weakest Pongal performances in recent years, despite the festival advantage.
Budget Reality Begins To Bite
With a rumoured budget of ₹142-150 crore, Parasakthi now faces an uphill, arguably impossible road to breakeven. Weekday trends suggest further erosion rather than recovery, with advance bookings on Monday reportedly hovering around ₹2 crore in Tamil Nadu.
Even optimistic projections capped Monday at ₹5 crore, a figure the film failed to reach. Best estimates now suggest that the film’s daily collections may struggle to even stabilise.
Fastest Pongal Week Collapse?
Despite a strong overseas opening and a ₹28 crore worldwide day-one figure, the domestic collapse has overshadowed everything else. While the film may cross ₹50 crore worldwide, the idea of touching ₹100 crore now looks increasingly unrealistic.
Tamil Nadu, the film’s core market, has already delivered its verdict.
In just three days, Parasakthi has gone from a hyped Pongal release to a case study in how fan openings, propaganda cinema, and media hype cannot substitute for audience acceptance.
If anything, Parasakthi may now be remembered not for its politics or messaging but for setting an unenviable record:
the fastest collapse of a major Tamil film during Pongal week.
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