Prabhas is one of the biggest names in Indian cinema, and every release of his is treated as a major event. His 2026 film Raja Saab (The Raja Saab), directed by Maruthi, was no exception. Promoted as a horror-comedy with fantasy elements, the film generated immense buzz and delivered a spectacular opening day.
However, the film’s journey at the box office turned out to be a rollercoaster ride. While it set records on day one, it faced a steep decline and ended its theatrical run as a financial disappointment relative to its massive budget.
This comprehensive post breaks down the Raja Saab box office collection in detail, covering day-wise figures, language-wise performance, budget analysis, and the reasons behind its mixed performance.
Raja Saab Movie Overview
Before analyzing the numbers, it’s important to understand the scale of this project. The film was envisioned as a pan-Indian spectacle, but behind-the-scenes reports suggest it underwent significant changes during production .
- Director: Maruthi
- Cast: Prabhas, Sanjay Dutt, Nidhhi Agerwal, Malavika Mohanan, Boman Irani, Riddhi Kumar, Zarina Wahab
- Music: Thaman S
- Budget: Estimated between ₹400 – 450 crore
- Release Date: January 9, 2026
Raja Saab Box Office Collection: Day-Wise Breakdown
The film’s box office journey is a classic tale of a front-loaded blockbuster that failed to sustain momentum. It started with a bang but crashed soon after due to mixed word-of-mouth.
Opening Day & Premieres
Raja Saab started its theatrical journey with paid previews on January 8 (Day 0). The film’s opening day numbers were massive, driven by Prabhas’ enormous fan following and the Sankranthi holiday season .
- Day 0 (Paid Previews): ₹9.15 crore net
- Day 1 (1st Friday): ₹53.75 crore net
- Day 1 Worldwide Gross: ₹112 crore (as claimed by producers), crossing ₹100 crore globally on day one
First Week Performance
The film’s first weekend was strong, but collections dropped significantly from Monday onwards. The drop in collections after the weekend was steep, indicating that audience feedback was not favorable.
| Day | India Net Collection | Language-wise Breakdown (Nett) | Notes |
|---|---|---|---|
| Day 0 (Thu) | ₹9.15 Cr | Telugu: ₹9.15 Cr | Paid previews |
| Day 1 (Fri) | ₹53.75 Cr | Tel: ₹47 Cr | Hin: ₹6 Cr | Tamil: ₹0.55 Cr | Kan: ₹0.10 Cr | Mal: ₹0.10 Cr | Massive opening across Telugu states |
| Day 2 (Sat) | ₹26.00 Cr | Tel: ₹20.65 Cr | Hin: ₹5.10 Cr | Tamil: ₹0.15 Cr | Kan: ₹0.06 Cr | Mal: ₹0.04 Cr | 51.63% drop from Day 1 |
| Day 3 (Sun) | ₹19.10 Cr | Tel: ₹14.20 Cr | Hin: ₹4.65 Cr | Tamil: ₹0.15 Cr | Kan: ₹0.07 Cr | Mal: ₹0.03 Cr | 26.54% drop, missed Sunday surge |
| Day 4 (Mon) | ₹6.60 Cr | Tel: ₹4.98 Cr | Hin: ₹1.50 Cr | Tamil: ₹0.07 Cr | Kan: ₹0.03 Cr | Mal: ₹0.02 Cr | 65.45% drop – failed the Monday test |
| Day 5 (Tue) | ₹4.80 Cr | Tel: ₹3.27 Cr | Hin: ₹1.40 Cr | Tamil: ₹0.08 Cr | Kan: ₹0.03 Cr | Mal: ₹0.02 Cr | Continued decline |
| Day 6 (Wed) | ₹5.35 Cr | Tel: ₹3.30 Cr | Hin: ₹2 Cr | Tamil: ₹0.02 Cr | Kan: ₹0.02 Cr | Mal: ₹0.01 Cr | Slight bump |
| Day 7 (Thu) | ₹5.50 Cr | Tel: ₹4.25 Cr | Hin: ₹1.15 Cr | Tamil: ₹0.04 Cr | Kan: ₹0.05 Cr | Mal: ₹0.01 Cr | Maintained small recovery |
| Week 1 Total | ₹130.25 Cr | Tel: ₹106.80 Cr | Hin: ₹21.80 Cr | Tamil: ₹1.06 Cr | Kan: ₹0.36 Cr | Mal: ₹0.23 Cr | Strong opening week overall |
Second Week Performance
The second week saw a massive 90.34% drop from the first week, indicating that the film had exhausted its initial hype and was rejected by the wider audience .
| Day | India Net Collection | Notes |
|---|---|---|
| Day 8 (2nd Fri) | ₹3.50 Cr | 36.36% drop from Day 7 |
| Day 9 (2nd Sat) | ₹3.00 Cr | 14.29% drop |
| Day 10 (2nd Sun) | ₹2.60 Cr | 13.33% drop |
| Day 11 (2nd Mon) | ₹1.35 Cr | 48.08% drop |
| Day 12 (2nd Tue) | ₹0.80 Cr | 40.74% drop |
| Day 13 (2nd Wed) | ₹0.70 Cr | 12.50% drop |
| Day 14 (2nd Thu) | ₹0.63 Cr | 10.00% drop |
| Week 2 Total | ₹12.58 Cr | 90.34% drop from Week 1 |
Third Week and Closing Collection
By the third week, the film had virtually collapsed at the box office, with daily collections dropping to below ₹20 lakh in some versions . The film ended its theatrical run with the following lifetime totals:
| Figure | Collection |
|---|---|
| India Net Collection | ₹146.04 crore |
| India Gross Collection | ₹172.32 crore |
| Overseas Gross Collection | ₹34.25 crore |
| Worldwide Gross Collection | ₹206.57 crore |
Raja Saab Box Office Collection: Language-wise Breakdown
While the film performed exceptionally well in the Telugu-speaking states, its performance in other language markets was underwhelming.
1. Telugu Version (The Primary Driver)
The Telugu version was the savior of the film. It contributed over 80% of the total India net collection .
- Telugu Net Collection: ₹118.65 crore (estimated)
- Telugu Gross Collection: ₹140 crore
- Telugu States: Andhra Pradesh and Telangana saw massive occupancy on the opening weekend, with Andhra Pradesh contributing significantly to the overall gross .
2. Hindi Version (Underwhelming)
Despite the presence of Bollywood actors like Sanjay Dutt and Boman Irani, the Hindi dubbed version failed to connect with audiences. It was out-performed by the month-old film Dhurandhar in its opening weekend .
- Hindi Net Collection: ₹24.17 crore (closing total)
- This marks Prabhas’ second-lowest-grossing film in Hindi post-COVID, ahead of only Radhe Shyam (₹19.25 crore) .
3. Tamil, Kannada, and Malayalam
The performance in other Southern languages was minimal, with negligible contributions from these markets .
- Tamil: ₹1.09 crore net
- Kannada: ₹0.39 crore net
- Malayalam: ₹0.23 crore net
Raja Saab Box Office Collection: Key Milestones
Here is a quick timeline of the film’s key milestones during its theatrical run:
- Crossed ₹100 Crore Worldwide: In just 1 Day .
- Crossed ₹135 Crore Worldwide: In just 2 Days .
- Crossed ₹188.65 Crore Worldwide: By the end of Week 1 .
- Crossed ₹200 Crore Worldwide: In approximately two weeks .
- Final Worldwide Gross: ₹206.57 crore (lifetime) .
Raja Saab Movie Analysis: Success or Failure?
Commercial Verdict: A Disastrous Flop
Despite the massive opening and crossing the ₹200 crore club, Raja Saab is considered a commercial disaster in terms of theatrical box office recovery .
- Budget: ₹400 – 450 crore .
- Recovery Rate: The film recovered only 36.51% of its budget, resulting in a massive deficit of 63.49% .
- Verdict: Flop (as per Koimoi’s parameters) .
Historic Achievement: Prabhas’ 7th ₹200 Crore Film
Despite the failure, Prabhas achieved a historic milestone with this film. He became the first actor from the Telugu Film Industry (TFI) to have seven films cross the ₹200 crore gross mark worldwide .
| Rank | Movie | Worldwide Gross | Status |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Baahubali 2 | ₹1,788.06 Cr | All-Time Blockbuster |
| 2 | Kalki 2898 AD | ₹1,042.25 Cr | Blockbuster |
| 3 | Baahubali | ₹650.00 Cr | All-Time Blockbuster |
| 4 | Salaar | ₹617.75 Cr | Hit |
| 5 | Saaho | ₹451.00 Cr | Average/Hit |
| 6 | Adipurush | ₹393 Cr | Flop/Disaster |
| 7 | Raja Saab | ~₹206.57 Cr | Flop |
This table highlights that a ₹200 crore collection is no longer sufficient for Prabhas, given the massive budgets his films command.
Historic Achievement: Highest Opener in Horror-Comedy Genre
On a more positive note, Raja Saab did set a new record as the highest worldwide gross opener in the horror-comedy genre for Indian cinema, surpassing previous blockbusters like Stree 2 .
Factors Behind Raja Saab’s Box Office Failure
The film’s failure has sparked significant debate within the industry. Several factors contributed to its disappointing run .
1. The “Pan-India” Trap
The most significant factor was the film’s identity crisis. Veteran filmmaker Thammareddy Bharadwaja revealed that Raja Saab was originally conceived as a “small, cute film” meant to connect with Telugu audiences. Director Maruthi, known for smaller films, was brought in specifically for this purpose .
However, as the project progressed, the makers decided to turn it into a massive “pan-India” spectacle. This led to nearly two years of reworking, reshoots, and changes that inflated the budget and moved the film away from its original story . Bharadwaja stated, “Whenever the makers try to add ‘pan-India’ elements, a film deviates from its purpose. As a result, both the budget and production time increase, and in the end, it rarely works in their favour.”
2. Inflated Budget
The film’s reported budget of ₹400-450 crore was simply too high for a horror-comedy film. Bharadwaja pointed out that if the budget had been kept at ₹100 crore, the film would have generated healthy profits. “Today, filmmakers are so focused on making big-budget films that they have forgotten how to make memorable cinema,” he said .
3. Misallocation of Funds
Bharadwaja also highlighted a critical issue with budget allocation. While a filmmaker like S.S. Rajamouli spends nearly 80% of the budget on production quality and only 10-20% on star fees, others do the opposite—they spend 80% on star remuneration and struggle to make the film with what remains. This likely affected the final quality of Raja Saab .
4. Mixed-to-Negative Reviews
The film received mixed-to-negative reviews from critics and audiences alike. While fans appreciated Prabhas’ “vintage energy” and comedic timing, critics raised concerns about the slow pacing in the first half, the quality of the VFX, and the overall execution . This led to poor word-of-mouth, which is crucial for sustaining collections beyond the opening weekend.
5. Poor Hindi Performance
Despite the presence of Bollywood actors, the Hindi version failed to connect with audiences. The film was outperformed in the Hindi market by the month-old film Dhurandhar during its opening weekend—a rare and concerning phenomenon for a new release led by a pan-India superstar . The Hindi version concluded its run with a dismal ₹24.17 crore, making it one of Prabhas’ lowest-grossing films in the market .
What Could Have Been Done Differently?
Industry veterans and analysts have offered some suggestions for how the film could have been a success:
- Stick to the Original Vision: The core idea of a “simple, cute film” about a haunted bungalow, with Prabhas as the star, had inherent charm. The makers should have trusted the director’s vision for a modest Telugu film rather than forcing a pan-India template onto it .
- Control the Budget: A horror-comedy does not require a budget of ₹400-450 crore. If the budget had been kept in the ₹100-150 crore range, the film would have been a major commercial success with its opening day numbers alone .
- Focus on Quality: The mixed reviews and criticism of VFX suggest that production quality suffered. The budget should have been allocated towards improving the film’s technical aspects rather than just star salaries .
Final Verdict
Raja Saab is a cautionary tale for the Indian film industry. It demonstrates that star power alone cannot guarantee success at the box office, especially when the budget is astronomically high and the execution is flawed.
While the film did achieve some milestones—crossing ₹200 crore worldwide and setting a record for the horror-comedy genre—it ultimately ended its run as a financial disaster. The film’s failure highlights the dangers of chasing “pan-India” status at the expense of a film’s core identity and budget management.
In the end, Raja Saab will be remembered as a case study of how not to make a big-budget film. It serves as a reminder that content, proper planning, and budget discipline are as important as star power in achieving box office success.
All figures are based on official tracking reports from Sacnilk, Koimoi, and other trade analysis sources.
