Box office: Teja Sajja's 'HanuMan' gets double-digit start
Filmmaker Prasanth Varma's Telugu mythological superhero film, HanuMan, witnessed a good opening at the box office on Friday. Starring Teja Sajja in the lead, this first installment of the Prasanth Varma Cinematic Universe raked in over Rs. 10 crore on day one. Notably, the desi superhero film clashed with Mahesh Babu's Guntur Kaaram and Vijay Sethupathi and Katrina Kaif's Merry Christmas on Friday.
Why does this story matter?
Makara Sankranti is a major festival slot for film releases, especially for South Indian cinema. Given the festive occasion and the long weekend, four major films flashed in cinema halls on Friday: Guntur Kaaram, HanuMan, Merry Christmas, and Captain Miller. Among these releases, Guntur Kaaram has taken the lead at the box office, grossing over Rs. 44.5 crore on its first day.
'HanuMan' minted Rs. 11.91 crore on day 1
Making a strong start at the box office, HanuMan opened at Rs. 11.91 crore (nett) on Friday, per industry tracker Sacnilk. It earned Rs. 7.56 crore on Friday and another Rs. 4.35 crore through advance bookings, taking its total to Rs. 11.91 crore. Released in multiple languages, its maximum business came from the Telugu version (Rs. 5.5 crore) followed by Hindi (Rs. 2 crore).
'HanuMan' beats 'Merry Christmas' in collections
The mythological superhero film turned out to be a bigger success at the box office than Sriram Raghavan's directorial Merry Christmas. The neo-noir mystery thriller movie collected Rs. 2.55 crore at the ticket window, which is about five times less than that of HanuMan's total collections. Given the long weekend, HanuMan's collection is expected to grow, especially with the help of positive word-of-mouth.
Production details and cast of 'HanuMan'
Helmed by Varma, HanuMan is a PrimeShow Entertainment production presented by RKD Studios. The star-studded ensemble features Sajja, Amritha Aiyer, Varalaxmi Sarathkumar, Vinay Rai, and Raj Deepak Shetty. With impressive box office performance and rave reviews, HanuMan is poised to leave an indelible mark on the mythological superhero film genre. Its sequel, Jai HanuMan, is slated for a release in 2025.
