Every year big films release around Diwali to cash in on the festive season and usually there’s something for every movie-goer around this time. This Diwali was no exception as movies from diverse genres hit the theatres.
Dude and Bison Kaalamaadan released a few days before Diwali along with an array of South Indian movies that hoped to ride on the festive wave. The Pradeep Ranganathan-starrer and Mari Selvaraj’s film both released on Friday October 17 2025.
It has also been a big year for the South Indian movie industry as several films have clearly outdone themselves with regards to the Box Office such as Lokah Chapter 1: Chandra, Kantara: A Legend Chapter 1 and others.
Comparisons between the two were instantaneous as both were mid-budget Tamil films powered by fresh faces and raw talent despite the fact that they were in wildly different genres – Dude is a “Gen Z” romcom while Bison Kaalamaadan is a sports action draw that deals with issues like caste. So let us see how well both have fared on Day 10 of collections and if there is a winner here.
Box Office collections
On the first day, Dude opened with Rs 9.75 domestically as per industry tracker Sacnilk. It was the highest opener for the day compared to other films released on the same day; coincidentally, it has been the highest-earner of Pradeep Ranganathan’s career. Marketed as a romcom packed with Gen Z comedy, it steadily rose through the ranks with decent collections, dipping only on the 5th day of its theatrical run but picking up again during week two.
The first week saw gross collections of Rs 68.85 crores while net collections amounted to Rs 56.5 crores domestically. Week 2 has two just begun for the movie, but it still saw gross collections of Rs 76.5 crores domestically while overseas collections amounted to Rs 24 crores, taking the worldwide collections past the 100 crore mark. Currently, Dude collections amount to Rs 100.5 crores and counting. It was made on a budget of Rs 25-30 crores and earned Rs 3.25 crores on the 10th day of screenings.
Meanwhile, Bison Kaalamaadan opened with Rs 2.7 crores and saw steady earnings till Day 5 when they dipped – similar to the trajectory of Dude. At the end of week 1, it managed to earn over Rs 34 crores in gross collections while net collections amounted to Rs 29 crores domestically. As for overseas collections, Bison Kaalamaadan earned Rs 5.75 crores which brought the total worldwide collections to Rs 39.75 crores. Currently, it has made domestic net collections amounting to Rs 35.25 crores which makes it a decent earner against tough competition. Overseas and worldwide figures are not currently available so it is difficult to estimate the total earnings of the movie but it has surely inched past the Rs 40 crores milestone. On the 10th day, Bison earned Rs 3.25 crores too according to a report by Sacnilk.
The verdict is here
While both movies duked it out at the Box Office, there is a clear winner here, handpicked by movie-goers. With higher occupancy and more earnings, Dude emerged as the undisputed theatre darling here. While Bison made a decent attempt, it could not catch up to the simplistic and catchy charisma that just oozes out of Dude. The audience picked a favourite, and they picked light-hearted Dude over the very serious Bison Kaalamaadan.
Despite both films receiving similar ratings and being fairly entertaining watches, Dude just had that certain je ne sais quoi that attracted film aficionados and made it one of the most successful movies of 2025, especially considering its budget. So, it is safe to say that when it comes down to the collections race, Dude has Bison beat. OTT platform Netflix has purchased the streaming rights for both films.
