Pookie Movie Collection | Budget | OTT

Pookie is a Tamil romantic comedy-drama, released on 13 February 2026 starring Ajay Dhishan (nephew of Vijay Antony) and R. K. Dhanusha in the lead roles. Produced, edited, and scored by Vijay Antony, and directed by Ganesh Chandra, the film aims for the “Instagram generation” by exploring the messy emotional tug-of-war following a public breakup.

Released as a specialized Valentine’s weekend treat, it opened across 320+ shows in India. Despite a relatable premise, it faced a crowded market and opened with an average occupancy of 9.2%. On Day 1, Pookie earned approximately ₹0.15 crore net in the Indian market.

Its gross collection stood at ₹0.17 crore, with the majority of earnings coming from urban centers like Chennai (17.7% occupancy). Worldwide, the first-day collection was reported at ₹0.17 crore as it had minimal overseas presence. With today being Saturday and Valentine’s Day, the film is expected to see a slight surge in multiplexes, though it currently remains a niche urban release.

Pookie 2026 Overview

Attribute	Details
Title	Pookie
Directed by	Ganesh Chandra
Written by	Puthiya Parithi
Produced by	Vijay Antony
Lead Actor	Ajay Dhishan
Lead Actress	R. K Dhanusha
Other Cast	Vijay Antony, Pandiarajan, Sunil, Lakshmi Manchu, Vivek Prasanna
Cinematography	Ganesh Chandra
Edited by	Vijay Antony
Music by	Vijay Antony
Production Companies	Vijay Anthony Film Corporation
Distributed by	Not specified
Release Date	February 13, 2026
Running Time	2h 12m
Country	India
Language	Tamil, Telugu
Film Industry	Kollywood
Genre	Drama, Romantic
Censor Rating	UA13+

Pookie Box Office Collection

Day	Date	India Net (crore)	Fluctuation (%+/-)	India Gross (crore)
Day 1	13 Feb	₹0.15	(Opening Day)	₹0.18
Day 2	14 Feb	₹0.24	+60.00%	₹0.28
Day 3	15 Feb	₹0.19	-20.83%	₹0.22
Day 4	16 Feb	₹0.13	-31.58%	₹0.15
Day 5	17 Feb	₹0.08	-38.46%	₹0.09
Day 6	18 Feb	₹0.06	-25.00%	₹0.07
Day 7	19 Feb	₹0.05	-16.67%	₹0.06
Day 8	20 Feb	₹0.04	-20.00%	₹0.05
Lifetime India Net	–	₹0.94 crore	–	–
Lifetime India Gross	–	₹1.10 crore	–	–
Lifetime Worldwide Gross	–	₹1.15 crore	–	–

Pookie is a Hit or Flop
Flop

What is the budget of Pookie
The budget is around ₹5.00 crore

Pookie Ott release date

OTT Platform: Zee5
OTT date: To be announced post-release.

Our Review

Pookie is a visually vibrant attempt to capture the zeitgeist of modern relationships, but it often mistakes “trendy” for “deep.” Director and cinematographer Ganesh Chandra captures the neon-soaked aesthetics of a contemporary breakup with flair, and the soundtrack by Vijay Antony provides the film with much-needed emotional weight. The story revolves around Kailash (Ajay Dhishan) and Aazhi (RK Dhanusha), whose six-year relationship collapses after a road-rage incident.

The film is structured as a series of post-breakup vignettes—gym sessions, awkward new dates, and social media stalking—that feel incredibly relatable to Gen-Z and millennial viewers. Performance-wise, Ajay Dhishan makes a confident debut with an easy screen presence, while RK Dhanusha effectively portrays the vulnerability and frustration of a woman trying to move on. However, the film stumbles in its attempt to balance the two perspectives.

While it tries to show “two sides of a coin,” it occasionally feels like it lets the male protagonist off too easily while making the female lead’s struggles feel comedic or foolish. Additionally, the heavy reliance on “bro” culture lingo and Instagram-speak gives the film a high degree of topicality that might make it feel dated within a few months. Commercially, Pookie has a difficult road ahead.

With a Day 1 collection of ₹15 lakh, it has barely scratched the surface of its modest budget. While critical reviews are “decent” (averaging 3/5 stars), the film is currently being squeezed between the heavy-duty action of O Romeo and the commercial comedy of Funky.

Its survival depends entirely on the urban youth audience turning out in large numbers tonight and tomorrow. As of now, it looks like a film that might find its true “pookie” fanbase on ZEE5 rather than at the box office.

Top 15 Opening day movie of Kollywood 2025

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Frequently Asked Questions

What is the plot of Pookie?

The film follows two young people navigating the complexities of falling in or out of love, amid modern elements like social media, anger, and heartbreak.

Who are the main stars in Pookie?

It stars Ajay Dhishan as the lead actor and Dhanusha as the lead actress.

When is Pookie releasing?

The movie is released on February 13, 2026.

What genre is Pookie?

It is a romantic drama exploring contemporary relationships.

Who directed Pookie?

The film is directed by Ganesh Chandhra.

Where will Pookie release on OTT?

The film’s satellite and digital rights are with Zee Network, and it is expected to stream on Zee5 after its theatrical run.

Disclaimer:

Box office figures in this article are independently estimated by Tenvow based on an internal tracking methodology that evaluates theatre occupancy trends, distributor feedback, and regional trade indicators.
The data reflects industry estimates available at the time of publication and may vary slightly from officially reported or audited figures released later.
These figures should be considered preliminary and indicative, not official confirmations.
Tenvow does not guarantee absolute accuracy of the data and presents it solely for informational purposes.
All financial figures are stated in Indian Rupees (INR) and represented in crores, unless specified otherwise.
All dates and times mentioned follow Indian Standard Time (IST) (UTC +5:30).

Reference:

Times of India

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