Venkat Prabhu’s ‘The Greatest of All Time (GOAT)’, starring Thalapathy Vijay in the lead role, is set to have a blockbuster opening at the box office on September 5. The film is garnering a lot of buzz, and is expected to break many records. The wide release of ‘GOAT’ in Tamil Nadu and internationally is contributing to this anticipation.

In Tamil Nadu alone, ‘Goat’ is set to release in nearly 1,000 screens, making it one of the widest Tamil film releases in recent years. Rahul of Romeo Pictures, the Tamil Nadu distributor, confirmed that the film will be screened in almost every theatre across the state, as quoted in. Indian Express,

Even at the international level, ‘GOAT’ is moving ahead on a new path. Indian ExpressGulzar Begum, managing director of XGen Studios, said the film will be released in over 500 theatres in the US, 200 in the UK and over 350 in Europe. In addition, the film will be released in 18 countries in Africa and several other regions, a significant expansion of Tamil cinema’s global reach.

Industry insiders are comparing the buzz around ‘GOAT’ to ‘Kabali’ as it is the biggest Tamil film release of the year. With early estimates suggesting the film could close in on the Rs 100 crore mark on its opening day, ‘GOAT’ is expected to revive Tamil cinema box office after a relatively quiet period.

However, some challenges still remain. The Hindi version of ‘GOAT’ has faced issues with national multiplex chains such as PVR and INOX, who have not signed on to show the film due to disagreements over the release window. This could impact the overall earnings, although strong performance in overseas markets is expected to offset the potential losses.

Despite the challenges, expectations are high from ‘GOAT’, which could open the doors for other major Tamil releases like Rajinikanth’s ‘Vettaiyan’, Ajith Kumar’s ‘Vida Muyarchi’ and Suriya’s ‘Kanguva’. With a duration of 183 minutes and shows starting at 4 am in Kerala and Karnataka, the film is off to a strong start.