'Leo': Thalapathy Vijay-led film earns Rs. 400cr even before release
What's the story
Kollywood superstar Thalapathy Vijay, who is currently basking in the glory of his recent release Varisu's success, will be next seen in the multi-starrer film Leo. The highly-anticipated project marks the reunion of Vijay and ace director Lokesh Kanagaraj after the success of their 2021 film Master. In the latest development, the film has already done a pre-release business of Rs. 400cr, said reports.
Context
Why does this story matter?
Touted as one of the biggest crowd-pullers of the Tamil film industry, Vijay has achieved global success and a massive fan following over the years. The film Leo celebrates the actor's 67th outing in Kollywood, and his reunion with critically acclaimed Kanagaraj has got the fans excited. Notably, the director's previous outings Kaithi and Vikram emerged as massive successes at the box office.
Business
Digital rights sold at whopping Rs. 120cr
As per reports, the upcoming gangster drama has become the first Tamil film to have a pre-release business of Rs. 400cr. Notably, Leo's digital rights have been sold to Netflix for a sum of Rs. 120cr (Tamil, Telugu, Hindi, and Kannada). Sun TV bagged the film's Tamil satellite rights for Rs. 70cr, while Sony Music has acquired the music rights for Rs. 18cr.
Theatrical rights
Global theatrical rights of 'Leo' pegged at Rs. 175cr
The global theatrical rights of Leo are reportedly pegged at Rs. 175cr. A breakdown of the numbers suggests that the overseas rights stood at Rs. 50cr, whereas the Tamil Nadu rights are pegged at a sum of Rs. 75cr. Leo, set to be released in October, has officially become the first Tamil film to rake in a staggering Rs. 400cr in just pre-release sales.
Twitter Post
In case you missed first-look teaser, check it out here
#LEO #BLOODYSWEET 💯https://t.co/VZKg9VSD43
— Lokesh Kanagaraj (@Dir_Lokesh) February 3, 2023
Shooting schedule
'Leo's Kashmir shooting to wrap up by March end
Reportedly, the film will prominently be shot in Kashmir and Chennai. As per the recent updates, the portions to be extensively shot in Kashmir will be wrapped up by the end of March. Later, the whole team will take a break of 10-15 days before kickstarting the next schedule of shoot in Chennai. The entire production of Leo will mostly be concluded by May.
Twitter Post
Check out 'Leo's Kashmir schedule teaser
#Thalapathy67 KASHMIR SCHEDULE BEGINS#Thalapathy @actorvijay @trishtrashers @anirudhofficial @PriyaAnand @duttsanjay @Dir_Lokesh @7screenstudio @akarjunofficial pic.twitter.com/7iWp2EZFXF
— Jagadish (@Jagadishbliss) February 3, 2023
About the project
Know more about Kanagaraj's ambitious project
Leo is an ambitious project for Kanagaraj and will be part of the Lokesh Cinematic Universe, aka LCU. The movie has the oozing star power of Vijay, Trisha Krishnan, Sanjay Dutt, Priya Anand, Arjun Sarja, Gautham Vasudev Menon, and Mansoor Ali Khan, among others. The much-awaited project will feature Vijay as a gangster, Krishna as the leading lady, and Dutt as the antagonist.