Suriya 24 pre-release business: Suriya starrer makes over Rs 500 crore, overtakes Vijay's Leo

Tamil superstar Suriya's upcoming movie tentatively titled Suriya 42, seems to have captured the imagination of movie fans across the world more than other upcoming tentpole Tamil movies. So much so that the pre-release business is more than the lifetime collections of several big blockbusters. 

It's said that the revenue from the sales of Suriya 42's theatrical, satellite and streaming rights has exceeded Rs 500 crore so far. Actor and YouTube movie reviewer Prashanth Rangaswamy tweeted, "#Suriya42 - Overall business to exceed 500 crores !!! Already an industry first number being offered for worldwide theatrical rights. The movie is getting bigger every passing day ! Next level of Annan @Suriya_offl loading !!(sic)." 

When many seemed not to believe Prashanth's report on Suriya 42's pre-release business, he promised to provide the full details in a few days. "Actual numbers . Will share the split of the business in a week's time . The producer will break even just with OTT and satellite rights . If any doubt - talk to people in Tamil cinema," he added. 

If that is true then Suriya-starrer has already outearned Tamil superstar Vijay's most-awaited movie Leo. According to reports, the pre-release business of the movie, which is part of the crime cinematic universe that director Lokesh Kanagaraj is constructing, is pegged at Rs 400 crore. The production of Leo is going on in full swing in Kashmir. And it also stars Trisha, Priya Anand, Arjun Sarja, Sanjay Dutt, Gautham Vasudev Menon, Mysskin, Mansoor Ali Khan, Sandy and Thomas Mathew.

The production of Suriya 42 is also happing at a brisk pace. The filmmakers have not zeroed in on a release date yet. Many speculated that the film will release during the Deepavali holiday this year or the Pongal festival next year. Producer G. Dhananjayan, who is closely associated with the project, said it was too early to announce the release date. 

"We are not ready to announce the release date yet. Because many more days of shooting are remaining. It's a film being made on a massive budget and being shot in many locations. We cannot easily announce the release date. It won't look good if we announce the release date now and change it later. So K. Gnanavel Raja has decided to confirm the release date when the shooting is completed," Dhananjayan told a Tamil news channel. 

He also added that Suriya 42 will be heavy on VFX. 

Written and directed by Siva, Suriya 42 is expected to be a period fantasy. Suriya is said to be playing the role of a medieval warrior. The filmmakers have not released much information about the project yet.