The Raja Saab box office collection day 12: Prabhas-starrer horror comedy crashes and burns, fails to earn even Rs 1 crore

Led by Prabhas and directed by Maruthi, the fantasy horror comedy The Raja Saab hit theatres on January 9, just ahead of the Pongal and Sankranti festivities. The film opened to a thunderous response at the box office, amassing Rs 100.60 crore worldwide and Rs 62.90 crore net in India on its opening day, including Rs 9.15 crore from paid previews on January 8. But the early fireworks fizzled out quickly, as the film struggled to maintain momentum amid growing backlash over its patchy screenplay, shaky logic, jarring dialogues, and lacklustre direction. Some critics and viewers even called it "one of the biggest cinematic disappointments in the recent times."

In its first 11 days, The Raja Saab grossed Rs 140.70 crore, with the original Telugu version contributing a major chunk of Rs 115.48 crore. The Hindi-dubbed version failed to make a mark, earning a modest Rs 23.51 crore; while the Tamil, Kannada, and Malayalam versions fared even worse, raking in just Rs 1.09 crore, 39 lakh, and 23 lakh, respectively. On its 12th day, the Prabhas-starrer suffered a full-blown collapse at the box office, managing only Rs 73 lakh across all five languages, according to early estimates from entertainment tracking portal Sacnilk.

Still reeling from The Raja Saab's box office failure, director Maruthi couldn't hold back his frustration and lashed out at the audiences. Speaking at a post-release event, he said, "People watch a film for about three hours on screen, but it is the result of nearly three years of relentless effort, stress, learning, and creative struggle. When such work is mocked or dismissed so easily, it does hurt, even if we choose to stay silent. Viewers watched The Raja Saab in a festive mood, expecting light entertainment. This may have stopped them from fully connecting with the deeper layers of the narrative."

Alongside Prabhas, The Raja Saab features Sanjay Dutt, Boman Irani, Nidhhi Agerwal, Malavika Mohanan, Riddhi Kumar, and Zarina Wahab in key roles. The film is produced by TG Vishwa Prasad, Krithi Prasad, and Ishan Saksena under the banners of People Media Factory and IVY Entertainment. Originally slated for release on April 10 and then December 5 last year, the horror-comedy was delayed multiple times due to extended post-production and VFX work.

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