Vaa Vaathiyaar hit the screens on January 14, 2026.
Despite getting positive reviews, the Karthi-starrer got off to a lukewarm start.
It is expected to gain momentum during the weekend.
Vaa Vaathiyaar box office collection: Karthi-starrer Tamil drama hit the screens on January 14 and opened to mostly positive reviews from the critics and audience. Karthi has garnered praise for his performance, while Tamil filmmaker Nalan Kumarasamy, who wrote and directed Vaa Vaathiyaar has been raved for the fresh concept and the way he delivered the film. While some pointed out flaws, many called it a perfect tribute to actor, politician, and philanthropist MG Ramachandran (MGR). Despite positive reviews, Vaa Vaathiyaar had a slow start at the box office.
Vaa Vaathiyaar box office collection Day 1
According to Sacnilk, Karthi's film managed to rake in only Rs 1.5 crore (rough data) on Day 1. The film is facing competition from other South releases, including Prabhas' The Raja Saab, Chiranjeevi's Mana Shankara Varaprasad Garu, Sivakarthikeyan's Parasakthi and Naveen Polishetty's Anaganaga Oka Raju. However, it is expected to gain momentum during the weekend.
Vaa Vaathiyaar saw an overall Tamil occupancy of 21.41%, starting with 15.30% in the morning shows, improving to 22.49% in the afternoon, witnessing a decline of 19.82% in the evening, and peaking at 28.02% during the night shows.
Vaa Vaathiyaar story
Set in the fictional village of Maasila, the action-comedy features Karthi as a cop, raised on the ideals of late superstar MG Ramachandran by his grandfather (Rajkiran), a huge fan of MGR. Ramu becomes a corrupt police officer and gets embroiled in a case involving businessman Periyasamy (Sathyaraj) and the state’s Chief Minister (Nizhalgal Ravi).
Vaa Vaathiyaar was earlier scheduled for theatrical release on December 5, 2025, and was later postponed to December 12 due to a legal battle.
The family entertainer also stars Krithi Shetty, Sathyaraj, Rajkiran, Anandaraj, Shilpa Manjunath, and Karunakaran, among others.
