The much-anticipated horror-comedy The Raja Saab, starring pan-India superstar Prabhas, is gearing up for a thunderous opening at the box office. The film, which releases on Thursday, January 9, is predicted to rake in over ₹7.66 crore on its first day, fueled by robust advance ticket sales across multiple languages.
Massive Advance Booking Numbers Signal Strong Start
According to data from industry tracker Sacnilk, The Raja Saab has already sold a whopping 94,735 tickets for its opening day through advance bookings. The Telugu original version is leading the charge with 62,230 tickets sold for 980 shows. The Hindi dubbed version has also shown promising traction, selling 32,431 tickets for 1,669 shows. The Tamil version, however, has seen modest sales of 121 tickets so far.
In monetary terms, the total gross earnings from these advance sales stand at an impressive ₹2.55 crore. The Telugu version alone has contributed more than ₹1.72 crore to this total. With these figures and accounting for blocked seats, trade analysts are projecting an opening day collection in the range of ₹7.66 crore.
Southern Markets Dominate, Andhra Pradesh Takes the Lead
The film's advance booking trends highlight its dominant appeal in the southern markets. Andhra Pradesh has emerged as the biggest contributor, grossing ₹1.35 crore (including block seats) with a real occupancy rate of 22% across 521 shows. Karnataka follows, adding ₹1.29 crore to the kitty. Tamil Nadu and Odisha have also shown healthy interest in the early sales.
Adding to the film's box office potential, the Andhra Pradesh government has approved a special ticket price hike for The Raja Saab. For paid premiere shows on Thursday, ticket prices have been capped at ₹1000. For regular shows starting January 9, single-screen theatres can charge an additional ₹150, setting the price at ₹297 per seat. Multiplexes in the state have been granted a hike of ₹200, with tickets priced at ₹377 for the first ten days. The film's team has also received permission to screen up to five shows daily during this period.
Star-Studded Cast and Pan-India Release
Made on a colossal budget reported to be around ₹400 crore, The Raja Saab features Prabhas in a dual role. The film boasts a strong ensemble cast including Malavika Mohanan, Nidhhi Agerwal, and Riddhi Kumar in lead roles. Bollywood veteran Sanjay Dutt plays a pivotal part, with seasoned actors Boman Irani and Suniel Shetty also featuring in the project.
Releasing in Telugu, Hindi, Malayalam, and Kannada, this romantic horror comedy marks another major pan-India release for Prabhas. The combination of his star power, a unique genre blend, strategic pricing, and strong pre-release buzz positions The Raja Saab for a potentially record-breaking start to its theatrical run.
