‘Retro’ box office collections day 1: Suriya’s film opens strong, mints more than Rs 19 crores

Suriya's much-awaited film ‘Retro’, directed by Karthik Subbaraj, has made a powerful debut at the box office.
Retro Movie Review
Hype paid off on the first day
According to the early estimates from the Sacnilk website, the film has raked in an impressive Rs 19.25 crore nett across India on its first day (Thursday, May 1, 2025), spanning all languages.


The film, which marks a stylish collaboration between actor Suriya and director Karthik Subbaraj, was riding high on pre-release buzz. The Day 1 earnings reflect this hype, with the Tamil version alone contributing Rs 17.25 crore. The Telugu version brought in Rs 1.95 crore, while the Hindi version contributed Rs 5 lakhs, making up the full Rs 19.25 crore figure.
Occupancy rates
Retro performed exceptionally well in Tamil Nadu in theater occupancy, recording an overall 78.89% occupancy for Tamil shows. Major cities like Chennai (87.25%), Coimbatore (85.50%), and Madurai (79.25%) saw packed shows throughout the day, especially during the afternoon and evening slots. Bengaluru also witnessed decent numbers with a 64.25% overall Tamil occupancy.


However, the film’s performance in the Telugu and Hindi markets was more modest. Telugu shows saw a 39.03% overall occupancy, while the Hindi version lagged with just 8.55% occupancy.
The star-studded cast of Retro includes Suriya, Pooja Hegde, Joju George, Jayaram, Nassar, and Prakash Raj.
Will the collections sustain in the coming days?
The initial reactions to Karthik Subbaraj’s directorial are mixed. For the same reason, it is not sure whether the Suriya starrer will be able to maintain its collections over the next days and will have a good run in theatres. ETimes review for the film reads, “Karthik Subbaraj manages to make us overlook all these reservations with sheer filmmaking flair. A 15-minute single-shot sequence that involves song and dance, heated conversation and tense action just makes one want to stand up and applaud. Similarly, an action scene in a bioluminescent sea makes for striking visuals (Shreyaas Krishna is the cinematographer). Then there's Suriya, whose very presence lights up the frames.”
On the other hand, Suriya's previous outing was 'Kanguva' which flopped at the box office.