Suriya’s Retro trails Nani’s HIT 3 at USA Box Office

Suriya’s much-awaited action drama Retro has opened to a lukewarm response in the USA as advance bookings for its premiere shows remain modest. With just seven days left for its grand release, the film has managed to collect $3,670 from selling nearly 200 tickets across 27 shows. While Suriya commands a strong fan following in the overseas market, especially among the Tamil diaspora, the initial numbers suggest a relatively subdued start.His last release Kanguva had an advance booking of US $ 172,000 and ended it’s theatrical run with a collection of US $ 739,000.

In sharp contrast, Telugu star Nani’s upcoming thriller HIT 3, which is also set to premiere on the same day, has been trending strongly in advance sales. The film has already grossed $115,000 across 300 locations The difference in early booking trends highlights the disparity in the current buzz surrounding both films.Also Nani’s film has an edge as the film is a franchise which has already established its fan base and its advance booking opened much before Suriya’s next.
Moreover, HIT 3 has the added advantage of a widespread release strategy, with its breakeven target in the USA set at a steep $2.3 million due to its aggressive promotional spend and wide location count. In comparison, Retro’s USA release appears more modest in scale, both in terms of screen count and pre-release buzz.

However, industry trackers are hopeful that Retro might witness a pickup in advance bookings closer to the weekend, especially in cities with a strong Tamil-speaking population. The film’s performance over the first weekend will be crucial in determining its overall prospects in the overseas market.
For now, though, it’s Nani’s HIT 3 that’s clearly leading the pre-release race in the USA, while Suriya’s Retro will need a significant surge in the coming days to catch up.Retro has been directed by Karthik Subbaraj and stars Pooja Hegde , Shriya Saran , Prakash Raj and Nassar.