Can Suriya's Anjaan surpass Dhanush's VIP Box Office collections?

Suriya's "Anjaan" is all set for a grand release on 15 August as a treat for Independence Day.

The gangster flick is likely to be released in around 1,400 screens worldwide, including the film's Telugu version. The film will be premiered in Malaysia on 14 August, ahead of India release. The advance booking for the film has commenced in several theatres and has been receiving fantastic responses from fans.

"Anjaan" has created a huge buzz among fans and it is likely to take big openings in the first weekend. The Independence Day holiday and the weekend are expected to work in the film's favour and ensure that the Suriya starrer ends its debut weekend on a good note.

"Anjaan" will be the second big Tamil release in the second half of 2014. The first film was Dhanush's "Velai Illa Pattathari" ("VIP"), which hit the screens on 18 July. The film performed exceptionally well at the box office and achieved the blockbuster status. It has also emerged as the highest grossing Tamil film of 2014 so far.

The romantic action entertainer took a grand opening in its first weekend. The film minted approximately ₹13 crore in the opening weekend. "#VellaiIllaPattathari - TN Net (Approximate) Friday – Rs 4.36 Cr + Saturday - Rs 4.20 Cr + Sunday Rs Rs 4.40 Cr. Total = Rs 12.96 Cr," according to entertainment industry tracker Sreedhar Pillai.

"VIP" is Dhanush's biggest opening ever. "I don't know how 2 thank my fans 4 givin VIP d biggest opening of my career n makin it a huge blockbuster.i dedicate my tears of joy 2 u all," the actor had tweeted last month. The film's 10-day collections amounted to over Rs 24 crore at the Tamil Nadu box office.

"VIP" also performed well in the overseas markets. The film has raked in ₹1.37 crore in the US and ₹2.20 crore in Malaysia at the end of the fourth weekend, according to Bollywood Hungama. "VIP" has reportedly grossed over ₹30 crore at the worldwide box office.

The film successfully completed 25-day theatrical run at the box office on 11 August. Till now, "VIP" has managed to hold its business even in its fourth week. However, its collections are likely to get affected with the release of "Anjaan".

With the kind of buzz that "Anjaan" is creating, the film is sure to dominate the screens in Tamil Nadu. Trade experts will be eager to see whether the Suriya starrer will be able to beat "VIP" collections and emerge as the highest grosser film of 2014. Since the film is releasing in more number of screens than "VIP", it is expected to beat "VIP" opening weekend collections.

The Telugu version of the film titled "Sikindar" will also be released on 15 August. With no big competition from other Telugu releases, "Sikindar" is expected to take good openings at the box office.

However, the overall performance of both the Tamil and the Telugu versions will depend on how the audience reacts to the film.