The talk about numbers is usually something that happens after a film hits the screens. However, for a big-ticket film starring one of the biggest stars of Indian cinema, the numbers become a major conversation starter. How much have they spent on the film? What is the actor’s salary? What is the recovery cost? What are the box-office prospects like? More often than not, these numbers aren’t something that a producer is transparent about, for obvious reasons. However, AGS Entertainment’s Archana Kalpathi is different. “We have spent Rs 400 crore for GOAT, including GST,” says the producer, who is backing Vijay’s next film, helmed by Venkat Prabhu. With just days left for the movie’s release on September 5, there is just one name doing the rounds in the Tamil cinema circle, and it is GOAT.
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Talking about spending so much money on a single film, with Vijay reportedly taking home half the budget, Archana said, “A star’s salary is proportional to the box-office revenue they can generate. Our production house doesn’t factor in the money that comes from OTT, satellite, and other language rights. We believe a film should recover the costs, and more, during its theatrical run.”
Explaining the reason why the production house isn’t following the de-facto system that is prevalent in our cinema, Archana, who previously was involved in the production of Vijay-Atlee’s Bigil, said, “There needs to be a pressure to perform, right? The theatrical revenue judgement is the actual meter of success. Work pressure makes us work within a particular budget. Diamonds are made under pressure. You can’t factor in the ‘rights’ revenue and relax saying I’ve already made my money. There needs to be a certain fear to ensure our judgement isn’t affected.” Adding to the conversation about OTT rights and satellite rights helping filmmakers recover their cost even before Day 1 of the release, Archana explained, “Yes, OTT and satellite are fixed, and they are not reliant on BO prospects. Irrespective of the box-office results, they will adhere to the commitment for that particular film. But it might reflect in subsequent films, and we are in this industry for the long run.”
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GOAT, which also features a galaxy of stars, including Prashanth, Jayaram, Prabhudheva, Mohan, Sneha, Laila, Meenakshi Chaudhary, and Yogi Babu, is having a solo release at the box-office coming Thursday. With music by Yuvan Shankar Raja and cinematography by Siddhartha Nuni, GOAT marks the penultimate film in Vijay’s career before he takes the political plunge right in time for the Tamil Nadu State Assembly elections in 2026.
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