The Raja Saab Faces Box Office Slowdown After Strong Opening
Prabhas' much-awaited fantasy-horror comedy The Raja Saab has posted modest box office numbers through its second weekend and into Day 11 of release. The film collected approximately ₹0.89 crore on its second Monday, according to the latest trade estimates. This brings its cumulative total in India to around ₹140.24 crore so far.
Weekend Collections Show Limited Growth
The second weekend exhibited lower than expected growth for the film. It earned roughly ₹3 crore on the second Saturday and ₹2.6 crore on the second Sunday. These figures preceded the sharp drop seen on Monday. The movie had opened strongly during the Sankranti festival period, which is a peak exhibition window for Telugu cinema. It briefly looked set to dominate collections but lost momentum quickly after the initial weekend.
Box office momentum slowed rapidly, and the film has struggled to hold screens and maintain audience interest. Trade analysts note that The Raja Saab now finds it difficult to cross the ₹200 crore worldwide mark. Many had expected it to surpass this milestone by this stage of its release.
Early Success and Subsequent Decline
The movie achieved a notable milestone early in its run by crossing the ₹100 crore threshold at the Indian box office within the first few days of release. This success came largely due to Prabhas's pan-India appeal and a wide multilingual launch. The film released in Telugu, Hindi, Tamil, Kannada, and Malayalam markets.
However, occupancy rates have fallen sharply in subsequent days. The decline is especially noticeable outside the core Telugu states. Other post-Sankranti releases are performing well in those regions, drawing audiences away from The Raja Saab.
Mixed Critical Reception and Audience Response
Critics and audiences offered mixed to negative reviews from the outset. Many pointed to a lack of cohesive storytelling and uneven execution between the horror and comedy elements. Review outlets noted that the screenplay failed to engage viewers consistently. This weak word-of-mouth has contributed directly to the downturn in footfall.
Industry tracking sites show an uneven performance across language versions. The Telugu rendition of the film continued to draw comparatively stronger attendance. Meanwhile, the Hindi and other language versions registered significantly lower occupancy and revenues. This pattern means The Raja Saab relies heavily on performance in specific regions rather than enjoying broad, pan-India traction.
About The Film and Its Cast
The film features a high-profile ensemble cast including Sanjay Dutt, Boman Irani, Malavika Mohanan, Niddhi Agerwal, Riddhi Kumar, and Zarina Wahab. Maruthi directed the project. The plot revolves around a man's quest to find his missing grandfather. This journey leads him into a blend of family drama, supernatural humour, and local mythic elements.
Despite the intriguing premise, critics said the execution did not meet audience expectations. By Day 10, The Raja Saab had grossed just over ₹130 crore in India. While this figure is respectable, it falls short of the blockbuster benchmark set by other recent big-budget Telugu films released around the same period.
Competition and Future Prospects
In contrast, competing titles such as Mana Shankara Vara Prasad Garu sustained stronger momentum. They secured higher global totals by this stage of their release. As The Raja Saab transitions into its third week, it will likely see screens reduced further. This reduction will be particularly noticeable outside the Telugu market if weekday collections remain low.
The film's ultimate lifetime tally will depend on two key factors. First, how quickly theatre chains reallocate screens to newer releases. Second, how well the movie continues to attract local audiences in its core markets. Overall, The Raja Saab delivered a strong opening and crossed notable early thresholds. However, its lack of sustained audience engagement and tepid critical response have tempered what had been high expectations for the Prabhas starrer.
