Box office collection: Mahesh Babu's 'Guntur Kaaram' sees huge drop
Mahesh Babu's latest Telugu film, Guntur Kaaram, dominated the box office on its debut on Friday. Despite clashing with releases like HanuMan, Captain Miller, Ayalaan, and Merry Christmas, Guntur Kaaram secured the top spot with an impressive opening day collection of Rs. 41.3 crore. However, the film experienced a massive decrease in revenue on Saturday (day two), reportedly bringing in just Rs. 13cr.
Why does this story matter?
Guntur Kaaram—directed by Trivikram Srinivas and produced by S Radha Krishna under Haarika & Hassine Creations—co-stars Sreeleela, Meenakshi Chaudhary, Jagapathi Babu, Ramya Krishnan, and Jayaram. The music is composed by Thaman S, with cinematography by Manoj Paramahamsa and PS Vinod. This film was much anticipated, given it marks the third collaboration between Babu and Srinivas, who previously worked on the 2005 blockbuster hit Athadu and the 2010 film Khaleja.
Domestic collections nearing Rs. 55cr (early estimates)
Guntur Kaaram earned an estimated Rs. 13cr (India net) on its second day (early estimates), per Sacnilk, marking a dip in earnings on day two. The film's total domestic collections stand at Rs. 54.3 crore. Per reports, the movie attracted the most viewers in Andhra Pradesh and Telangana, Babu's home region. On Saturday, it recorded an overall 46.02% Telugu occupancy, with 34.84% in morning shows, 46.98% in afternoon shows, 51.8% in evening shows, and 50.45% in night shows.
What 'Guntur Kaaram' is all about?
Guntur Kaaram has garnered an outstanding fan rating on social media. This mass entertainer follows Ramana (Babu), seeking answers about his mother's (Krishnan) abandonment 25 years ago. Despite his grandfather's (Raj) insistence to cut ties, Ramana, portrayed with calm strength, resists. Remarkably, this action-packed flick reportedly surpassed the opening day collections of Allu Arjun's Pushpa: The Rise in the Telugu-speaking states, amassing significant acclaim.
Meanwhile, 'HanuMan' saw increase in collections
Meanwhile, Teja Sajja's sci-fi fantasy Telugu film HanuMan was expected to challenge Babu's movie at the box office. However, it only managed to collect Rs. 11.91cr India net on its opening day (Rs. 8.05cr on Friday and another Rs. 4.15cr through advance bookings). But the film saw a 55% increase in its collection on Saturday, earning Rs. 12.5cr, taking its total to Rs. 24.7cr. This indicates that word-of-mouth favors the film, while Guntur Kaaram seems to be heavily front-loaded.
