Tamil film ‘Dude’ has had an impressive run at the Box Office. For a film made on a budget of Rs 25-30 crores and opening to mixed reviews, it has more than outdone itself and then some. Released on October 17, 2025, the film cashed in on the festive fervour of Diwali which was on October 21 this year. ‘Dude’ was marketed as a Gen Z romcom and it certainly appealed to movie goers as it saw decent collections despite facing stiff competition from movies like Thamma, Kantara: The Legend Chapter 1, Bison Kaalamaadan, Ek Deewane Ki Deewaniyat and Diesel.
This coming of age stars Pradeep Ranganathan and Mamitha Baiju in the lead roles, with a strong supporting cast comprising Neha Shetty, R. Sarathkumar, Hridhu Haroon and Rohini. ‘Dude’ is Keerthiswaran’s directorial debut and only the second Tamil production by Myrthri Films.
How did Dude perform at the Box Office
When Dude released on October 17, it was going toe-to-toe with two other Tamil flicks which were releasing on the samee day: Bison Kaalamaadan and Diesel which are heavy hitters in their own right but tenaciously it came out on top. On opening day, Dude earned a decent amount of Rs 9.75 crores domestically according to industry tracker Sacnilk, making it the highest earner of the day and the highest earner of Pradeep Ranganathan’s career. It is also the third movie for the actor which has joined the Rs 100 crore club.
Positive word-of-mouth truly contributed to the films success because despite a slow start, the film steadily rose through the ranks to come out on top. By the end of the first week, Dude had managed to earn a gross collection of Rs 68.85 crores while net collections came out to Rs 56.5 crores domestically. The film had already managed to make more than double its budget by the first week.
Now, on Day 13 even if collections have dropped significantly and the momentum has slowed down, Dude has still been deemed a certified hit. According to Sacnilk, Dude managed to earn Rs 1.13 crores or 113 lakhs which is a 15.67% drop from the previous day. This brings the total gross collection to Rs 69.23 crores domestically and the worldwide collection can be rounded off to over Rs 104 crores.
Theatre occupancy also saw a sharp fall
Dude has had a strong hold over Tamil and Telugu audiences since it’s release but it seems that the movie has run it’s course. Overall Tamil occupancy was 15.11% and Telugu occupancy was 10.62% as per Sacnilk. Afternoon shows saw the most footfall with a 16.22% occupancy for Tamil audiences and for Telugu audiences it was evening shows with 11.07 percent.
No theatres in the major cities like Chennai, Bengaluru, Hyderabad, Coimbatore or Madurai saw occupancy more than 28%. It seems Dude’s theatrical run has finally come to a stop. Despite it, the movie has still fared incredibly well and done well with film aficionados who, it is clear, are eager for fresh faces and fresher stories. With streaming rights belonging to Netflix, Dude may soon appear on the OTT platform for those who missed the feature in cinemas.