Hi, the romantic comedy starring Kavin and Nayanthara has completed its opening weekend in theatres. Directed by Vishnu Edavan, the film marks the latter’s directorial debut after his work as a lyricist and assistant director. Nayanthara has also backed the film under Rowdy Pictures along with Vignesh Shivan, with Seven Screen Studio’s SS Lalit Kumar also serving as a producer.
The film opened alongside Arjun Das’ Once More on August 28, while Yash-starrer Toxic continued its theatrical run as the much larger pan-India competitor. Hi started with a Rs 1.25 crore net collection on Friday before making a notable jump on Saturday, when its net earnings rose to Rs 2.15 crore. The second-day performance was a surge, with the film reaching Rs 3.40 crore net after two days.
The film has now added another Rs 2.20 crore net on its first Sunday, according to Sacnilk figures. Its day 3 gross stands at Rs 2.68 crore, taking its three-day worldwide gross to Rs 6.62 crore, all of which has come from India. The film recorded 47 per cent occupancy on Sunday across 751 shows, up from the 43.5 per cent reported on Saturday. Its three-day net total now stands at Rs 5.70 crore.
The Sunday performance is particularly significant because, while the film's collection has not seen a dramatic jump over Saturday, its occupancy has continued to improve. This suggests that the Kavin-Nayanthara pairing has managed to retain audience interest through the weekend. The film's Tamil Nadu business remains the primary contributor, with Rs 2.25 crore coming from the state on Sunday. Across the first three days, Tamil Nadu has contributed Rs 5.50 crore of the film's Rs 6.62 crore gross, while Karnataka has added Rs 47 lakh.
The contrast with Once More is stark. Both films arrived in theatres on the same Friday, but Arjun Das and Aditi Shankar's romantic drama had a considerably smaller opening. Once More collected Rs 27 lakh net on Day 1 and Rs 44 lakh on Day 2; its three-day net collection stands at around Rs 1.13 crore according to Sacnilk. Hi, therefore, has already earned roughly five times as much as its same-day Tamil release in its opening weekend.
With the opening weekend now behind it, the real test for Hi will be its Monday hold. The film's ability to maintain a reasonable show count and occupancy on the first working day will determine whether its weekend momentum can translate into a sustained theatrical run.