Prabhas’ much-awaited film The Raja Saab, directed by Maruthi, finally arrived in theatres after nearly four years of production delays. The movie was released with massive expectations from fans and the trade, as Prabhas continues to remain one of the biggest pan-India stars. However, just a few days after release, the film’s box office journey has taken an unexpected and disappointing turn.

Although The Raja Saab opened with impressive numbers on paper, the overall response has raised serious concerns about its long-term performance.

Weak Opening Despite Huge Numbers

On its first day, The Raja Saab collected around ₹110 crore worldwide and about ₹63 crore in India across all languages, including Hindi dubbed shows and paid premieres. While these figures may look strong, trade experts point out that this is actually one of Prabhas’ weakest opening-day performances in recent years.

In fact, it is being compared to Radhe Shyam (2022), which also opened decently but later turned into a major box office disaster. Unfortunately, The Raja Saab seems to be following a similar path.

Negative Reviews Hurt Collections

The biggest problem for The Raja Saab has been its disastrous reviews. Critics and many audience members have expressed disappointment with the story, screenplay, and execution. Social media reactions also reflected dissatisfaction, which directly affected word-of-mouth publicity.

As a result, footfalls dropped quickly after the first day. Trade analysts believe that negative reviews have played a major role in slowing down ticket sales across multiplexes and single screens.

Sankranthi Competition Adds Pressure

The timing of the release has further complicated matters. With several new Sankranthi releases entering theatres, The Raja Saab is facing tough competition. Festival releases usually dominate screens and audience attention, leaving limited space for underperforming films.

Because of this, trade circles expect the film’s collections to crash heavily in the coming days.

Massive Budget Becomes a Major Risk

One of the biggest concerns is the film’s huge budget of over ₹400 crore. With such a high investment, the movie needs extraordinary box office numbers to break even. However, with weak audience response and declining collections, recovering this budget now looks extremely difficult.

Even in the Hindi market, The Raja Saab has emerged as one of Prabhas’ lowest openers, which further reduces its overall revenue potential.

Director Maruthi’s Changing Stand

Amid criticism and poor trade buzz, director Maruthi has chosen a cautious tone. He recently said that he wants to wait for a few more days before deciding the film’s final verdict.

According to Maruthi, some audience members appreciated the new elements he tried to introduce in the story, while others failed to understand them and criticised the film. Because of these mixed reactions, he feels it is too early to label the movie as a hit or flop.

However, this statement sharply contrasts with his confident attitude before the release. In a viral press interaction earlier, Maruthi boldly shared his home address and challenged fans to visit him if they were dissatisfied with the film by even one percent. That confidence has now clearly softened due to the current situation.

What Lies Ahead for The Raja Saab?

At present, The Raja Saab is facing an uphill battle. Unless there is a sudden turnaround in audience response, the film is likely to be remembered as another major disappointment in Prabhas’ career after Radhe Shyam. With heavy competition, negative reviews, and a massive budget, the chances of recovery appear very slim.

While the makers are still hoping for stability, the writing on the wall seems clear for many trade experts.

Key Points

• The Raja Saab opened with ₹110 crore worldwide but is still one of Prabhas’ weakest openers.
• Negative reviews and poor word-of-mouth have badly affected collections.
• The film earned only ₹63 crore in India on day one across all languages.
• With a budget of over ₹400 crore, recovery looks extremely difficult.
• Director Maruthi has asked for more time to judge the final result.
• Trade experts expect collections to fall further due to Sankranthi competition.

You can also read this article in Telugu (తెలుగు).

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