"Vishwaroopam" released in almost 700 theaters in North India, in both Tamil and Hindi says the Mumbai box office. The controversies about this movie helped the crowd gather in other states but not so much in the North. The first day's crowd filled up only half the theater in all screens. Madya Pradesh, Punjab, Haryana and Delhi has even lesser crowds for "Vishwaroopam". On a positive note, the major newspapers and magazines there have given 3 star ratings for this Kamal movie.

One of the best critics there, Tharan Aadharsh said, " On the whole, VISHWAROOP is a Kamal Hassan show all the way. It has an interesting premise, superb combat scenes and Kamal Hassan's bravura act as its three aces. But a stretched second hour and far from dramatic finale dilute the impact." And yet another critic Rajiv Masanth said, "There is a technical finesse to the action scenes and to the way in which the attacks in Afghanistan are filmed, but the same can't be said of the confused screenplay that lingers on a bunch of needless characters who converse exclusively in Arabic. These bits, along with the plot's return to New York in the final act turn a tired story into an even more trite one."

The same Tharan Aadharsh also later tweeted that the crowd picked up later in the evening and night shows. The collections gets bigger each day.