Thalapathy Vijay's Leo shatters overseas records, set to beat Shah Rukh Khan's Pathaan

Thalapathy Vijay's upcoming movie is rewriting the box office rules of Indian cinema abroad. In a clear sign of the ever-expanding popularity of Indian movies in international markets, even before its release, Leo has emerged as the biggest Tamil movie in the UK.

According to Ahimsa Entertainment, the distributors of Leo, the movie has sold over 3,25,000 tickets in advance becoming the biggest opener in the UK. The opening of Leo will be bigger than director Mani Ratnam's magnum opus Ponniyin Selvan series. "With STILL 19 days left, #LEO's advance ticket sales have SHATTERED the Day 1 record for Tamil films in the UK! Our sights are now set on the ALL TIME #1 single-day gross for an Indian movie..," Ahimsa Entertainment wrote on X.

ALSO READ: Cauvery row: False audio clip targets Thalapathy Vijay, Leo release threatened

The distributors have also expressed surprise over the interest the movie has managed to generate among the movie patrons, noting that they "haven’t seen anything like this before for a Tamil film overseas!"

The filmmakers are confident that the movie will further gain traction closer to release and it's opening numbers could be a lot bigger than this. "#Leo is targeting to surpass the current single-day earnings for an INDIAN film in #UK, a record presently held by #Pathaan," tweeted Bollywood movie trade expert Taran Adarsh.

Vijay's Leo is a pop-cultural phenomenon

Leo has caught the attention of the moviegoers since it was announced last year. The movie has dominated the pop cultural discourse for various reasons. It also has sparked a fair share of controversies, keeping the movie alive in news headlines.

ALSO READ: BREAKING: Thalapathy Vijay's Leo audio launch cancelled, 'no political pressure' claim producers

The producers of Leo took everyone by surprise when they recently cancelled the movie's audio release event. It was one of the most-awaited events of the fans. However, the producers decided not to go ahead with the event citing security concerns stemming from the overwhelming interest of people in attending the audio release function.