Veera Simha Reddy: Nandamuri Balakrishna film earns Rs 16 crore in advance booking, looking at blockbuster opening

Nandamuri Balakrishna’s Veera Simha Reddy has taken a strong start at the box office on its opening day. The action thriller is the first big Telugu release of the year and is hitting the theatres on the Pongal festive weekend. The film earned a whopping Rs 16 crore in advance booking alone by Wednesday night and is expected to rake in a lot of money on its opening day.

Veera Simha Reddy stars Balakrishna in a double role as a car mechanic and his leader father. The Gopichand Malineni-directorial also stars Shruti Haasan, Duniya Vijay, Varalaxmi Sarathkumar, and Murali Sharma. The film has received mixed critical reviews but has generated considerable buzz, largely due to Balakrishna’s fan following in Andhra Pradesh and Telangana.

A report in Sacnilk stated that Veera Simha Reddy sold tickets worth Rs 16.14 crore in advance booking for its opening day. The figure is much higher than what the two Tamil films released on the previous day could manage. Vijay’s Varisu earned just over Rs 11 crore while Ajith’s Thunivu grossed Rs 10 crore. Given that, trade experts are hoping for a bumper opening day for the Balakrishna film.

Most industry insiders are predicting the film to cross over Rs 30 crore on its opening day, which will again put it clear of the two Tamil Pongal releases. However, the film’s business is likely to see a drastic fall on Friday as another big Telugu film – Chiranjeevi and Ravi Teja’s Waltair Veerayya – hits the screens.

The division of screens between the two films is likely to affect the business of both but experts are bullish about their chances given the large size of the Telugu market. Veera Simha Reddy can make a recovery over the weekend if it sustains via word of mouth after Saturday.