Prabhas’ much-anticipated horror-comedy The Raja Saab has opened to a mixed box office response, registering a comparatively lower opening than the superstar’s recent big-budget releases such as Salaar and Kalki 2898 AD. However, despite not delivering a massive first-day number by Prabhas standards, the film has still managed to put up a strong and competitive opening, driven largely by the actor’s loyal fan base.
The Raja Saab collected approximately ₹54.15 crore worldwide on its opening day, including premiere shows. Of this, the film earned around ₹45 crore nett in India across all languages, while ₹9.15 crore came from paid premieres. These figures underline the star power of Prabhas, even in a genre that traditionally does not guarantee explosive openings.
Weakest Post-Pandemic Opening for Prabhas
Industry analysts have pointed out that The Raja Saab marks the weakest opening for a Prabhas film in the post-pandemic era. The relatively modest start was widely anticipated, given that advance bookings opened late and the film does not fall under the mass-action genre, which usually delivers record-breaking openings for the actor.
In comparison, Prabhas’ earlier releases opened to significantly higher numbers. Salaar stormed the box office with nearly ₹90 crore on day one, while Kalki 2898 AD recorded an even bigger opening of around ₹95 crore. Even Adipurush, despite its eventual box office decline, had debuted at approximately ₹86 crore. Against these benchmarks, The Raja Saab’s opening appears subdued, giving the star some reason for concern.
Beats Dhurandhar, Tops Morning Show Collections
Despite the slower-than-expected start, The Raja Saab has still managed to outperform key competitors at the box office. The film overtook Ranveer Singh’s Dhurandhar, which had dominated the Indian box office for nearly five weeks. By 9 AM on its opening day, The Raja Saab comfortably surpassed Dhurandhar’s Thursday collection of ₹4.25 crore, effectively dethroning it from the top spot.
Notably, Dhurandhar had collected ₹28 crore on its opening day, making The Raja Saab’s performance particularly impressive in comparison, especially during morning shows.
Comparisons With Recent Blockbusters
While its opening remains lower than Prabhas’ own recent films, The Raja Saab is still expected to outperform the opening day collections of several recent blockbusters. Trade estimates suggest that it could surpass the day-one numbers of films like Jawan (₹64 crore), Animal (₹63 crore), Leo (₹64.80 crore), and Dhurandhar (₹30 crore), depending on late-night shows and final tallies.
The Road Ahead
The real test for The Raja Saab will lie in its post-opening-day performance. Word of mouth, audience reception to its horror-comedy blend, and weekend growth will determine whether the film can maintain momentum or witness a sharp drop after day one. While the opening may not match Prabhas’ recent highs, the film has still demonstrated enough traction to keep trade expectations cautiously optimistic.
