After years of wait and expectations, Ajith's 'Valimai' is finally here in the theatres. The ardent fans had gone frenzy for the past few days as they rushed to win tickets for the FDFS (First Day- First Show). The sea of crowds was visible across and beyond the borders and the movie hit the big screens on Thursday - February 24. The fans and audience had awarded a grand opening for Valimai in the theatres only to witness average reviews. 

The unprecedented wait, the crew, and the storyline had poured more expectations on the fans and after episodes of deferment of release, the movie team has finally announced the release date as February 24. To spur the fans towards the theatres, the movie team had been busy with releasing several spruiking videos and the booking of the ticket had begun days ahead of the release. 

To enjoy the movie and to relish watching Ajith in theatres for the first time in three years, the fans and audience had thronged to the theatres and booking sites to reserve the tickets for the first day's first show. Almost all the theatres in Chennai had announced that the tickets for all the shows were sold out for the first day and hours ahead of the first show, hundreds of fans had gathered before the theatres and begun celebrating the release. 

Chennai was clouded with such celebrations and fans had burst crackers to savour the release. Several theatres in Chennai had screened early morning shows. However, in the midst of expectations, Valimai had invited a verdict that it is one-time watchable. Several fans had sounded that the movie didn't exceed the expectations and it may a treat for Ajith fans. As the movie had got mixed reviews, will Valimai create a record by winning a big gross on the opening day? Let's take a look at the top five Tamil movies that had a huge grossing on the opening day. 

1) Sarkar: 

Vijay starred 'Sarkar' still enjoys an all-time record in the opening day grossing. The movie, which was released in 2018, grossed Rs 32 crore on its first day. Bankrolled by Kalanithi Maran under his banner of Sun Pictures, Sarkar was helmed by AR Murugadoss. While Vijay played the lead role, Keerthy Suresh, Varalaxmi Sarathkumar, Radha Ravi, Pala. Karuppiah, Yogi Babu, Rajesh, and Livingston played important roles. Made at the budget of Rs 110 crore, Sarkar has become a blockbuster hit by earning Rs 270 crore at the box office. 

2) Bigil: 

Another feather in Vijay's cap, Bigil had a great opening on the first day by grossing Rs 26.5 crore. It has also bagged huge at the box office. Bigil was released in 2019 and produced by the Kalpathi family under the banner of AGS Entertainment. Bigil marked the third consecutive reunion of Vijay and Atlee. While Vijay played the lead role, Nayanthara, Jackie Shroff, Kathir, Vivek, Daniel Balaji, Anandaraj, and Yogi Babu played important roles. Bigil was produced at the budget of Rs 180 crore and earned between Rs 285 to 300 crore at the box office. 

3) Master: 

It is yet another Vijay movie in the store of top grossers. Released in 2021, Master had played a vital role in reviving the cinema and theatre industry from the Covid-19 pandemic and lockdown. Master was the first major Tamil movie to hit the big screens nearly after two years and the release had a fruitful and significant outcome. On its first day, Master has grossed Rs 25 crore. Master stars Vijay in the lead role and Vijay Sethupathi, Mahendran, Malavika Mohanan, Shanthanu Bhagyaraj, Andrea, Arjun Das, and Nassar played important roles. It was directed by Lokesh Kanagaraj and bankrolled by XB Film Creators. Made at the budget of Rs 135 crore, Master had earned between Rs 230 to 300 crore at the box office. 

4) Annaatthe: 

Superstar Rajinikanth starred Annaatthe had become one of the big movies of 2021. Released on the occasion of Diwali last year, Annaatthe had earned Rs 23.6 crore on its opening day. Though it had received mixed reviews, Annaatthe was a hit commercially. Produced by Sun Pictures, Annaatthe had earned Rs 240 crore at the box office. Directed by Siva, Rajinikanth had played the lead role and Keerthy Suresh, Nayanthara, Khusbhu, Meena, Jagapathii Babu, Prakash Raj, Soori, Pandiarajan, and Sathish had played important roles. 

5) Mersal: 

Mersal is another Vijay movie and it stands at the fifth spot by earning Rs 23.5 crore on its first day. Mersal was released in 2017 and it was produced by Thenandal Studios and directed by Atlee. While Vijay had played the lead role, SJ Suryah, Sathyaraj, Vadivelu, Kajal Agarwal, Nithya Menen, and Samantha had played important roles. Made at the budget of Rs 120 crore, Mersal has earned Rs 260 crore at the box office. 

As these five movies had won a commercial blockbuster, it has shown Vijay's dominance as four out of five movies were starred by him. As Valimai is on the race, the ardent fans of Ajith hope that the movie will beat Vijay's dominance in the opening day grossing. However, mixed reviews around Valimai had a different story that it is less likely that Ajith will surpass Vijay's all-time record in the first day grossing.