‘Hanu-Man’ rocks box office beating ‘Merry Christmas’

Prashanth Varma’s latest film Hanu-Man starring Teja Sajja in the lead role has brought the glory back to Teugu cinema after a poor 2023.

The film that featured no superstar, star director or big promotions have rocked the box office not only in Telugu but also in Hindi despite facing massive competition from six notable films.

Hanu-Man (Hindi)opened at Rs 2.15 crore on day 1 and witnessed growth on day 2 collecting Rs 4.05 crore. And on day 3 it outperformed Merry Christmas and collected a huge Rs 6.06 crore plus taking its opening weekend total to Rs 12.26 crore.

Sharing its biz, trade analyst Taran Adarsh wrote, “Here’s the BIGGG SURPRISE… #HanuMan first *3-day* [opening weekend] total is HIGHER than #KGF [first part] and #Kantara, at par with #Pushpa [note: all #Hindi dubbed versions]… Yes, you read it right!

#HanuMan emerges FIRST HIT OF 2024… Packs an impressive total in its *opening weekend*… While mass pockets continue to dominate, the national chains have also joined the party… Fri 2.15 cr, Sat 4.05 cr, Sun 6.06 cr. Total: ₹ 12.26 cr. #India biz. Note: #Hindi version.

Going forward, the strong hold in mass sectors is a big plus, since these pockets will be driving its biz on weekdays… Also, as highlighted yesterday, lack of major releases – till #Fighter [25 Jan] – should help #HanuMan cement its status. #Telugu version in #NorthIndia: Fri 24 lacs, Sat 40 lacs, Sun 45 lacs. Total: ₹ 1.09 cr.”

In comparison, Hindi film Merry Christmas made Rs 2.30 crore on day 1, Rs 3.40 crore on day 2 and an estimated Rs 4 crore on day 3. The 3-day total of the Sriram Raghavan directorial is Rs 9.70 crore.

At the all-India level, Hanu-Man became a massive success story as it opened to Rs 12.20 crore (including Rs 4.15 crore from paid previews). It made Rs 12.45 crore on day 2 and an outstanding Rs 15.50 crore on day 3.

The all-India 3-day total of Hanu-Man stands at Rs 40.15 crore.

Mahesh Babu’s big Telugu release Guntur Kaaram opened on a massive note collecting Rs 41.30 crore on day 1, made Rs 13.55 crore on day 2 and its day 3 biz (Rs 14.25 crore) was slightly below the much smaller film Hanu-Man.

It made Rs 69.10 crore in the opening weekend.

Going by the box office trend of Hanu-Man, the Teja Sajja starrer is expected to be the top-performing film of all the releases and may even surpass Guntur Kaaram by the second weekend.

Box Office of Other Releases

Released on January 13, Telugu film Saindhav made Rs 6.80 crore in 2 days of its release.

Nagarjuna’s Naa Saami Ranga which was released on January 14, opened to Rs 5 crore (estimated).

‘Hanu-Man’ rocks box office beating ‘Merry Christmas’; trends better than ‘Kantara’ in Hindi

Tamil film Captain Miller has collected Rs 23.40 crore in its opening weekend. The expectations were much higher from the period action film.

And Sivakarthikeyan’s alien comedy drama Ayalaan earned Rs 13.05 crore in the first 3 days of its release.