'Leo' is said to have grossed massive figures in Tamil. In Tamil Nadu alone, the film is said to have grossed something like Rs 80 Cr (although one estimate puts it at Rs 100 Cr, which is not believable). The overseas figures are humongous as well. Even in the Telugu States, Kerala and Karnataka, the Vijay-starrer is doing well.
Going by social media discussions surrounding the film, the makers got two things right in terms of content.
1. They maintained secrecy over the character played by Madonna Sebastian. This made it possible to ensure a surprise factor in the flashback. A key casting in the flashback in such a big-ticket film wouldn't have been a secret had 'Leo' been a Telugu film. Some or the other media house would have killed the surprise in the name of an 'Exclusive'.
2. Just because Vijay is a superstar, his character was not lionized. He was shown to be vulnerable to being attacked. A Mahesh Babu or a Pawan Kalyan might not have accepted the warning Leo receives in the climax.
Today's audiences want surprises and complexities. 'Tiger Nagewara Rao' lost a golden opportunity to present an immoral thief as he was. The protagonist was made into a supremely white character in the second half of the Ravi Teja-starrer.
