Chiranjeevi's Mana Shankara Vara Prasad Garu Opens Strong with Rs 44.25 Crore Worldwide
Chiranjeevi's latest film Mana Shankara Vara Prasad Garu has made a powerful debut at the box office. On its first day of release, the movie earned an impressive Rs 44.25 crore worldwide. This marks a significant return for the superstar after a two-year gap from theatrical releases.
India Collection Details
The film performed particularly well in the domestic market. It collected approximately Rs 28.5 crore net in India on Monday. This strong opening came despite the film releasing on a weekday rather than the traditional Friday.
Special previews held on Sunday contributed an additional Rs 8.6 crore to the total. When combined with Monday's earnings, the overall opening day collection reached Rs 37.1 crore in India alone.
Strategic Release Window
The release of Mana Shankara Vara Prasad Garu followed a carefully planned strategy. Initially, four major films were competing for the same release slot. The biggest competitor was Prabhas' The Raja Saab, which secured a January 9 release date with a solo weekend to prove its box office potential.
However, The Raja Saab opened to negative reviews and experienced a sharp decline in collections. From an opening day collection of Rs 63 crore, it dropped to just Rs 4.21 crore by Monday. This underperformance prompted exhibitors to reconsider their screen allocations.
Screen Distribution Shift
Following The Raja Saab's disappointing performance, theaters quickly shifted their focus to Chiranjeevi's film. Exhibitors allocated 2,041 screens across India to Mana Shankara Vara Prasad Garu.
In contrast, The Raja Saab saw a dramatic reduction in its show count. The film started with 6,670 shows nationwide across Telugu, Hindi, and Tamil languages. By Monday, this number had dropped to just 3,627 shows, including:
- 1,252 Telugu shows
- 2,170 Hindi shows
- 205 Tamil shows
Despite crossing the Rs 100 crore mark worldwide, The Raja Saab's domestic collections fell sharply after the opening day. The film earned only Rs 26 crore on its second day, followed by a further decline to Rs 19.1 crore on Sunday.
Mixed Critical Reception
Mana Shankara Vara Prasad Garu has received mixed reviews from critics and audiences. While Chiranjeevi's performance has been widely praised, the film's screenplay has drawn some criticism. This mixed response makes the strong opening collection even more remarkable.
The film achieved this success with nearly one-third the number of shows compared to The Raja Saab at its peak. This demonstrates Chiranjeevi's enduring star power and audience appeal.
Chiranjeevi's Recent Box Office History
This release marks Chiranjeevi's first theatrical appearance in two years. His previous film, Bhola Shankar, released during Independence Week in 2023. That film opened at Rs 19.15 crore in India but concluded with a disappointing lifetime collection of Rs 42.25 crore. This was despite being made on a budget exceeding Rs 100 crore.
In contrast, Waltair Veerayya, which released around Pongal in the same year, opened at Rs 34.6 crore. It went on to collect Rs 219 crore worldwide against a budget of Rs 140 crore, emerging as a clear superhit.
Future Competition and Prospects
The coming days will be crucial for Mana Shankara Vara Prasad Garu. The film faces competition from upcoming releases scheduled for later in the week. Ravi Teja's Bhartha Mahasayulaku Wignyapthi and Naveen Polishetty's Anaganaga Oka Raju are set to release on January 13 and 14 respectively.
Industry observers are now watching closely to see if Mana Shankara Vara Prasad Garu can replicate the success of Waltair Veerayya or if it will face challenges similar to The Raja Saab. The film's performance in the coming days will determine its ultimate box office fate.
Chiranjeevi's strong opening has certainly made a statement in the competitive Telugu film industry. The film's ability to draw audiences despite mixed reviews and weekday release demonstrates the actor's continued box office appeal.
