Prabhas' The Raja Saab Opens with Strong Preview Collections
Prabhas' latest film The Raja Saab kicked off its theatrical run with paid previews. The preview shows collected ₹9.15 crore from India. All of this amount came from the Telugu version alone. These preview numbers showed good initial curiosity among audiences before the full release.
Star-Studded Cast and Release Details
The horror-comedy features a strong ensemble cast. Alongside Prabhas, the film stars Sanjay Dutt, Malavika Mohanan, Nidhhi Agerwal, Boman Irani and Riddhi Kumar in key roles. The Telugu original version hit theaters on 9 January.
Box Office Performance: A Rollercoaster Ride
Strong Opening Day Collections
Directed by Maruthi, The Raja Saab saw a powerful jump on its first full day. The film earned ₹53.75 crore net in India. Telugu markets dominated these collections with ₹47 crore. Hindi contributed ₹6 crore. Tamil, Kannada and Malayalam versions added small but steady numbers. This marked a solid opening for the film.
Sharp Decline on Subsequent Days
Box office collections dropped sharply on the second day. The film collected only ₹26 crore, a fall of over 51%. Telugu remained the strongest contributor at ₹20.65 crore. Hindi followed with ₹5.1 crore. Other languages stayed limited in their contribution.
Sunday collections stood at ₹19.1 crore, showing another sharp decline. Telugu brought in ₹14.2 crore while Hindi earned ₹4.65 crore. Weekend growth proved weaker than industry expectations.
Weekday Drop and Current Totals
Monday saw a big weekday drop. The film collected just ₹6.6 crore, a decline of over 65%. Telugu and Hindi were the main contributors on this day as well.
Early estimates suggest ₹4.85 crore on Day 5. The total India net collection now stands at ₹119.45 crore according to industry tracker Sacnilk.
The Raja Saab Story: A Supernatural Family Drama
Raja Saab, played by Prabhas, looks after his grandmother Gangamma, portrayed by Zarina Wahab. Gangamma suffers from Alzheimer's disease. Though she forgets most things, she strongly remembers her husband Kanakaraju. Kanakaraju was a former exorcist believed to be living in exile.
Wanting answers about his missing grandfather, Raja Saab begins a search. This journey takes him to Hyderabad.
During this quest, Raja Saab faces many challenges and emotional conflicts. He falls in love with Bessy, a devoted nun played by Nidhhi Agerwal.
Bhairavi, played by Malavika Mohanan, joins him on this search. Bhairavi is a thief's granddaughter who helps him find clues. Their path finally leads them to a haunted mansion where shocking truths come out.
His grandfather Kanakaraju, portrayed by Sanjay Dutt, is revealed as the mastermind behind everything. He vanished on purpose and planned a trap to bring Raja Saab to the mansion.
Raja Saab, Bessy and Bhairavi find themselves imprisoned. Even the expert Dr Padmabhushan, played by Boman Irani, fails to stop Kanakaraju. At his breaking point, Raja Saab awakens a hidden power that bends reality itself.
OTT Release and Financial Outlook
The box office numbers do not look encouraging for this horror-comedy. Reports indicate the film was made with a massive budget of ₹450 crore.
However, The Raja Saab struck gold with its OTT release deal. According to industry publication OTTPlay, the makers originally sought ₹200 crore for the digital rights. That initial asking price did not materialize.
Still, the film managed to earn ₹160 crore for its OTT rights. The streaming rights were sold for all language versions of the film.
A film typically needs to earn at least double its budget to break even. Even with this substantial OTT deal, The Raja Saab appears unlikely to turn a profit based on current collections.
