Record-breaking response for Vijay's action thriller Leo in Malaysia

KUALA LUMPUR: South Indian actor Vijay's action-packed thriller 'Leo' achieved a remarkable milestone in Malaysian Indian cinema, garnering an impressive pre-booking response of 200,000 patrons before its worldwide release on Oct 19.

The film, distributed by Malik Streams Corporation Sdn Bhd, made its debut in 155 locations across Malaysia, gracing a total of 1400 screens, thus setting a new milestone in the country's cinematic history.

Dedicated Vijay fans eagerly gathered at theatres as early as 5.30 am to catch the first screening, with notable venues including Lotus Five Star State Cineplex in Petaling Jaya, Selangor, and TSR Cinemax in Shah Alam, commencing from 8 am on Thursday.

Adding to the fervour, members of the Vijay Fans Official Squad organised a flash mob and a lion dance performance ahead of the show.

Titled 'Leo: Bloody Sweet,' the film, directed by Lokesh Kanagaraj, is touted as the most expensive Tamil movie to date. Alongside Vijay, the stellar cast includes Sanjay Dutt, Trisha, Arjun, Gautham Vasudev Menon, and Priya Anand.

Vijay assumes the role of Leo Das in the movie, depicting a relentless struggle to shield his family from a menacing gang. 'Leo' is integral to Lokesh's crime-based cinematic universe, interlinked with his previous works, 'Kaithi' and 'Vikram.'

'Leo's' trailer also achieved a remarkable milestone, becoming the fastest Indian movie trailer to amass one million likes on YouTube.

Some 1,000 people comprising Malaysian celebrities, models, social media influencers, and media, were extended an invitation to a special screening of 'Leo' organised by Malik Streams in collaboration with Varnam Malaysia held last night at TGV Pavilion, Bukit Jalil, encompassing six halls in total.

-- BERNAMA