Chief Minister C Joseph Vijay’s Jana Nayagan was meant to be his last act before his transition from cinema to politics, but the megastar’s final film is arriving as a cinematic celebration of a man who has already conquered the ballot box.

After much delay in obtaining certificate from the Central Board of Film Certification (CBFC), which pushed its release date, originally slated for January 9, and an online leak of the film, Vijay’s 69th flick will be released in around 1,000 screens across Tamil Nadu on Thursday.

Tickets sold out within minutes of bookings opening on online platforms, with several theatres opening reservations in the wee hours.

While Vijay now helms the state, one familiar feature of his film releases appears unchanged, at least in Chennai: black-market ticket sales. Several fans took to X to allege that some theatres were selling tickets for Rs 500 to Rs 800, while black-market prices ranged from Rs 1,000 to Rs 2,000.

Many also alleged that several theatres released only a limited number of tickets online and sold the rest on the black market. While advance sales have crossed the Rs 15-crore mark domestically, trade analysts project a massive Day 1 collection of Rs 50-Rs 60 crore across India.

Even as fans geared up for the release, sources said CM C Joseph Vijay watched the movie at the Tagore Film Centre in Adyar on Wednesday, ahead of its theatrical debut.