Everyone was excited and had big dreams, but Thug Life, the much awaited Kamal Haasan and Mani Ratnam combo, has hit a roadblock. Released on June 5, 2025, this Tamil gangster film which many had high hopes for, didn’t do well at the box office and is now facing a loss of Rs. 25 lakh fine on multiplex chains for releasing the film on Netflix just 4 weeks after it was released in theaters.
The film, produced by Raaj Kamal Films International and Madras Talkies was a hope, the first collaboration between Kamal Haasan and Mani Ratnam since Nayakan in 1987. With a star cast including Silambarasan, Trisha Krishnan, Aishwarya Lekshmi and others, Thug Life promised a gritty story of redemption and revenge, centered around Rangaraaya Sakthivel, a feared mafia don played by Haasan. The trailer and A.R. Rahman’s music had me and many others buzzing with excitement, expecting a masterpiece. But as Republic World reports, the film failed to connect with the audience, grossed just Rs. 97 crore worldwide and Rs. 48.14 crore in India, far short of the Rs. 250 crore to break even.
The box office numbers tell a sad story. Despite a decent opening of Rs. 36 crore globally on day one, fueled by pre-release hype, the film saw a 55% drop on day two, collecting Rs. 7.50 crore. By the end of its four-day extended weekend, it had collected Rs. 40.25 crore in India, with Tamil Nadu contributing Rs. 32.50 crore, Andhra Pradesh, Telangana and Kerala adding a meager amount. Weekday collections dwindled further, Rs. 2.25 crore on Monday, Rs. 1.75 crore on Tuesday and Rs. 1.75 crore on Wednesday, taking the first week domestic total to a dismal Rs. 46 crore. The absence of a release in Karnataka due to Haasan’s comments on Kannada language cost an estimated Rs. 5 crore in revenue, adding to the film’s woes.
With this poor theatrical run, the makers decided to shift to an early OTT release on Netflix, originally planned for August 4, 2025 after an eight week theatrical window. But with the film being pulled out of theaters within three weeks due to low footfall, the streaming debut was brought forward to early July, breaching the eight week gap enforced by North Indian multiplexes. This move as Gulte.com reports, has resulted in a Rs. 25 lakh fine from national multiplex chains, with the producers forfeiting their Hindi theatrical share to settle the issue. It looks like a desperate attempt to recover losses, especially after Netflix renegotiated the initial Rs. 130 crore digital rights deal to a lower amount due to the film’s poor performance.
The film had everything going for it—Kamal Haasan gave a great performance, Silambarasan brought a lot of energy and Mani Ratnam directed with great vision. Critics liked the camera work and set designs but many felt the second half was too predictable compared to Nayakan. The ban in Karnataka created a lot of controversy and didn’t help the situation and created a gap in a big market.
This isn’t the first time Haasan has faced a problem. Indian 2 also had issues with its streaming release but it hurts to see Thug Life struggle. The early streaming release though necessary for financial reasons feels like giving up on the big screen release. I still think the digital release will reach the audience it deserves and Haasan’s Rangaraaya Sakthivel and Ratnam’s storytelling will stand out.