Retro movie BO verdict: Suriya's Tamil actioner makes Rs 110 cr, trade analyst says 'figure is low compared to expectations'

Retro movie box office verdict: Suriya’s Retro, which hit the screens on May 1, opened to a good response at the box office despite receiving mixed reviews. The action drama earned Rs 32 crore worldwide on the first day. It then witnessed some growth over the weekend before dipping on the weekdays. The film’s run is now over and the box office verdict is out.


Suriya, who suffered a setback when Kanguva bombed at the box office, tried to revive his career with Retro. The film created a reasonable amount of buzz among fans as it marked his maiden collaboration with Karthik Subbaraj. Now, the film’s verdict is out.

According to Manobala Vijayabalan, a trade analyst, the flick grossed Rs 110 crore at the worldwide box office in its full run.


“Retro grossed around ₹110 cr. The film is an average to hit venture when compared to its low budget. The story was made for a specific set of audience with old fashioned backdrop, hence the figures are low compared to the expectation,” he told Indiatimes.

Retro was shot on a budget of around Rs 60 crore. It needed to gross Rs 120 crore or more globally to emerge as a success but this did not happen. Its lifetime haul is comparable to that of Kanguva. The Siva-directed action drama, which was filmed on a budget of Rs 350 crore, earned around Rs 100 crore in its full run and ended up being a disaster.

Retro has also failed to match the collection of Petta. Karthik’s first film with the legendary Rajinikanth grossed Rs 250 crore at the box office despite facing competition from Ajith Kumar’s Viswasam.

Retro received mixed reviews with critics lauding the performances but panning the execution. The mixed word-of-mouth affected the film over the weekdays. According to Sacnilk, a trade website, it witnessed a drop of 58% in India on the first Monday itself and things became worse thereafter.

Retro also faced competition from HIT 3, which was released on the same day and opened to a good in the Telugu states. The investigative action thriller earned Rs 38 crore on the first day worldwide.


Retro is a romantic action drama directed by Karthik Subbaraj. The film revolves around a gangster who shuns his violent ways on his wife’s request. Retro features Suriya and Pooja Hegde as the lead pair. Santhosh Narayanan is the music composer.

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