4 min readMumbaiJun 1, 2026 11:21 AM IST
Vignesh Shivan’s ambitious sci-fi romantic comedy Love Insurance Kompany bombed at the box office earlier this year. The filmmaker shared a note on his Instagram Stories on Sunday, confessing that he’s still “not fully come to terms” with the film’s fate. He also shared screenshots of generous DMs he’s received from the audience who loved the movie, but couldn’t wrap their heads around its dismal performance at the box office.
Vignesh Shivan on Love Insurance Kompany failure
“Many people have messaged me saying they missed the film in theatres because of the overwhelming negativity they saw online,” wrote Vignesh. “Some films survive negative reviews; some don’t. For films that lack support from their ecosystem, industry peers, or influential voices, public perception can completely change their fate,” he added.
He claimed that the reviews for Love Insurance Kompany were “written to showcase intelligence or superiority, often to more than critique a film” and “discouraged audiences from giving it a chance”. He even claimed that such reviews could “crush the dreams of ambitious filmmakers”.
“I still haven’t fully come to terms with LIK’s box office result,” confessed the director.
Love Insurance Kompany box office collection
“What hurts the most is how quickly the narrative shifted after a promising opening weekend,” said Vignesh. Love Insurance Kompany opened at Rs 8.16 crore in April and ended up earning over Rs 26 crore at the domestic box office over its opening weekend. However, the film crashed on its first Monday, as it could garner only Rs 3.44 crore.
The same trajectory continued for the film, that eventually ended up earning Rs 40 crore in India and Rs 60 crore at the worldwide box office. Made on a budget of almost Rs 200 crore, Love Insurance Kompany bombed quite miserably. Hailing it as “earnest, different, and original”, he felt the film “deserved a little more generosity from its audience”.
Struggle to make Love Insurance Kompany
“What many people don’t see is the struggle behind bringing a film like this to life. Making it was difficult, releasing it was even harder, and after overcoming those challenges, seeing it end this way is painful,” he added. Vignesh had been planning the project since 2018, when Sivakarthikeyan and Lyca Productions were on board the film.
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However, Lyca Productions backed out of the project in 2020. “Sivakarthikeyan was the initial choice to play the lead role in LIK. However, the project didn’t take off with Sivakarthikeyan. The movie is set in the future, but the producer asked me why I can’t make it in the present. The producer was worried that the budget would overshoot as the movie was futuristic. I didn’t want to compromise on my vision,” Vignesh reasoned in a chat show in 2024. “If someone asks you to make Baahubali in the present time, how can you do it?,” he added.
After talks with other potential producers also fell through, Vignesh decided to produce the film under his and wife Nayanthara’s banner Rowdy Pictures. The project got back on track in 2023, when Pradeep Ranganathan agreed to play the lead role. The film also starred SJ Suryah, Krithi Shetty, and Yogi Babu among others. Set in 2040, it revolved around the titular futuristic dating app.
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“Cinema is full of great films that weren’t embraced when they first arrived, and that thought offers some comfort,” wrote Vignesh. He concluded his note by quoting a “wise and celebrated” director’s words of encouragement to him — “The success of a film is often determined more by what surrounds it than by what exists within it.”
