Jigarthanda Double X vs Japan: Which is the real Deepavali winner?

The Deepavali weekend witnessed the release of two significant Tamil movies - Jigarthanda Double X and Japan. The reactions to these two movies during the first three days leave little room for confusion as to which film was resonating better with audiences. 

Before its release, Japan enjoyed a significantly higher interest among the patrons compared to Jigarthanda Double X. While the excitement for formoer was driven by its star value, Karthi, the latter was highly anticipated because it was a Karthik Subbaraj 'padam'. 

Japan was written and directed by Raju Murugan, who is typically known for his hard-hitting socio-political dramas. Japan, however, seemed very distinctive from the director's regular style of movies. It seemed like Raju was aiming for a more mainstream appeal. 

ALSO READ: Jigarthanda Double X movie review: Karthik Subbaraj delivers a memorable cinematic experience 

But, Raju's experimentation with mainstream filmmaking style didn't work. Even though the opening for Japan was bigger than Jigarthanda Double X, it couldn't sustain its momentum due to negative reviews and poor audience feedback.

In the meantime, the native reactions to Japan provided an edge to Jigarthanda Double X, which stars Raghava Lawrence, and SJ Suryah in the lead roles.

ALSO READ: Japan Review: Karthi and Raju Murugan's latest outing is underwhelming and riddled with misfires

Jigarthanda Double X received overwhelming positive reviews and it gained momentum with a strong response from the movie patrons. 

Box office figures revealed a telling story: on the opening day, Jigarthanda Double X collected Rs 2.5 crore, trailing Japan's Rs 2.75 crore in Tamil Nadu. However, the scenario shifted dramatically by the end of the opening day, with Jigarthanda Double X gaining considerable ground.

The trend continued over the weekend, with Jigarthanda Double X nearly doubling its earnings compared to Japan. The stark contrast in performance is shaping Japan to potentially become one of Karthi's biggest disappointments while positioning Jigarthanda Double X as a promising success.

With good reviews, and no major new releases till mid-December, Jigarthanda Double X may end its box office run on a very profitable note.