By anjali
The action-thriller Leo is set to make its streaming debut after earning one of the best box office results of any Indian film of the year. Leo will launch on Netflix on November 24 in India and November 28 worldwide, the company said on Monday. The film, which was directed by Lokesh Kanagaraj and starred “Thalapathy” Vijay, is a part of the “Lokesh Cinematic Universe,” an ever-expanding common universe of action films. David Cronenberg’s A History of Violence served as inspiration for the film, which follows the tale of a polite café owner whose past finally catches up with him.
When Leo was released in theaters a month ago, it did incredibly well at the box office both domestically and internationally. With slightly under $75 million at the end of its global run, $48 million came from India. Leo broke multiple box office records during its run, particularly for Tamil-language films. It continues to be the top grossing film in the state of Tamil Nadu, the biggest of 2023, and the second-biggest Tamil film ever made. Especially noteworthy on a global scale, it outperformed Martin Scorsese’s Killers of the Flower Moon to conclude its first weekend of release as the top movie ever.
Leo is the fourth-highest grossing Indian film of the year overall, trailing only the Tamil-language blockbuster Jailer, starring Rajinikanth, who is arguably the biggest star in Tamil cinema history, and Shah Rukh Khan’s Jawan and Pathaan ($138 million and $130 million, respectively), as well as the historical action movie Gadar 2 ($83 million worldwide). The stated $30 million budget for Leo’s production is on the higher end of the scale, but it’s still not as high as large Indian shows’ costs typically go. It cost twice as much as the last year’s blockbuster RRR, and the next Kalki 2898 AD is expected to cost $75 million.
‘Leo’ Isn’t a Bollywood Movie
Many independently operating native language cinema companies exist in India. Despite being the most well-known of them all, “Bollywood” is sometimes used incorrectly to refer to all Indian films. In actuality, Bollywood only refers to the Mumbai-based Hindi-language industry. Leo is a Tamil movie that is primarily intended for speakers of the language in the southern state of Tamil Nadu as well as the diaspora community worldwide. Conversely, RRR is a Telugu movie that became a global smash despite the fact that most non-Indian viewers saw a Hindi-dubbed version of the movie on Netflix.
Leo got largely favorable reviews and presently has an 80% “fresh” rating on Rotten Tomatoes. The 2019 chase thriller Kaithi, which stars a wrongfully accused guy who just got out of jail, rescues a truckload of police officers, marked the beginning of the Lokesh Cinematic Universe. It went on with Vikram, which starred Kamal Haasan in the title role, last year. According to reports, the franchise will continue with Kanagaraj’s upcoming film, which will include Rajinikanth.
This might pave the way for what could turn out to be the greatest casting choice in Tamil cinema history, bringing together three of the most well-liked male performers in the business for a single franchise. Here is a trailer for Leo; for more information, keep checking Collider.
