As the Sankranti festival season approaches, the box office battle is heating up with two major releases. Prabhas' upcoming horror-comedy The Raja Saab is showing promising advance booking numbers in the United States but finds itself significantly behind the overseas juggernaut that is Thalapathy Vijay's Jana Nayagan.
Strong US Business for Prabhas' Horror-Comedy
Despite advance bookings not yet opening in India, The Raja Saab is generating considerable buzz in international markets. According to data from Venky Box Office, the film has already sold 25,869 tickets for 1,406 shows across 513 locations in the United States alone. This has translated to a collection of USD 7,15,038, which is over Rs 6.42 crore. The numbers for the entire North American region are even higher, standing at over USD 7,50,000 (approximately Rs 6.74 crore) as of the morning of January 7, 2026.
The film, directed by Maruthi and starring Prabhas, is scheduled for a grand release on January 9, perfectly timed with the Sankranti festivities. The cast includes notable names like Sanjay Dutt, Boman Irani, and Malavika Mohanan, with music by Thaman S.
Jana Nayagan Storms Ahead in Overseas Advance
However, the story takes a different turn when comparing the overseas performance of the two big-ticket releases. While The Raja Saab has collected a total of around USD 1.22 million (Rs 11 crore) in overseas advance bookings, it is being outpaced by a massive margin by H Vinoth's Jana Nayagan.
Industry tracker Sacnilk reports that the Vijay-starrer has minted a mammoth USD 3.90 million, which is about Rs 35 crore, in overseas advance bookings so far. This stark difference of nearly Rs 24 crore highlights the intense competition and the formidable overseas draw of Vijay's star power.
Budget and Box Office Expectations
The pressure is on for The Raja Saab to perform exceptionally well upon release. Mounted on a reported budget of Rs 300 crore, the film needs to gross over Rs 400 crore worldwide to be declared a hit. A significant portion of this, around Rs 300 crore, is expected to come from its home market of Telugu alone. Its performance in the Hindi belt will also be crucial for its overall box office success.
In a positive development for the makers, the Andhra Pradesh government has granted special concessions. The order permits a special show on January 8 between 6 PM and 12 AM with ticket prices set at Rs 1,000. Furthermore, ticket prices have been allowed a hike of Rs 150 in single screens and Rs 200 in multiplexes for a period of 10 days from release. This will make tickets approximately Rs 297 in single screens and Rs 377 in multiplexes.
With the CBFC granting the 189-minute film a UA 16+ certificate, all eyes are now on January 9 to see if Prabhas' The Raja Saab can translate its overseas momentum into a blockbuster opening in India and close the gap with its fierce competitor.
