After a remarkable five-week run, Dhurandhar has finally been dethroned at the Indian box office. The film, led by Ranveer Singh, dominated cinemas for 35 straight days, holding strong despite new releases and showing no major drop in daily collections.
That streak came to an end on Friday morning, and it took a superstar of Prabhas’ stature to make it happen. Prabhas’ latest release, The Raja Saab, claimed the top spot at the Indian box office within hours of its release, doing so even before 10 am on opening day.
The Raja Saab opening day collection
The Raja Saab marks Prabhas’ first theatrical release in nearly two years and his first-ever horror comedy. According to trade sources, the film earned over ₹6 crore net by 10 am on Friday. This figure includes collections from paid previews on Thursday evening and early morning shows on release day.
What makes this achievement stand out is that the morning show earnings alone surpassed Dhurandhar’s entire Thursday collection. On its 35th day in theatres, the Aditya Dhar-directed film had earned ₹4.25 crore net. With this, The Raja Saab officially became the number one film at the domestic box office.
Strong opening across languages
The Raja Saab has released in Telugu, Hindi, Tamil, Malayalam, and Kannada, giving it a wide national footprint. Trade analysts expect the film to comfortably cross the ₹60-crore mark in domestic collections on its opening day.
The film also benefited from a last-minute boost, as Jana Nayagan, starring Vijay, was postponed. This resulted in The Raja Saab getting around 250 additional screens in Tamil Nadu. With no major Tamil release on Friday, the film could outperform initial projections in the state.
What lies ahead at the box office
Jana Nayagan received its CBFC certification on Friday morning, clearing the path for its theatrical release. While the makers have not confirmed a date yet, the film is expected to arrive before Pongal to capitalise on the festive window. That release could pose the first real challenge to The Raja Saab’s box office crown.
For now, though, Prabhas’ film sits firmly at the top of the charts.
All about The Raja Saab
Directed by Maruthi, The Raja Saab stars Sanjay Dutt, Malavika Mohanan, Riddhi Kumar, Boman Irani, and Zarina Wahab.
Released on January 9, ahead of the Sankranti weekend, the film marks Prabhas’ return to the family entertainer space, blending comedy with horror elements. Given its explosive start, The Raja Saab has already set the tone for a strong box office run in the days ahead.
