Anil Ravipudi’s action thriller Maha ShankaraVaraprasad Garu, starring Chiranjeevi and Nayanthara, has emerged as the winner among this year’s Sakranthi releases across the Telugu and Tamil film industries. The film’s unconventional release on a Monday, two days before the mid-week festival, has worked in its favour as it crossed the Rs 165 crore mark and the Rs 280 crore mark at the domestic and worldwide box office within its opening week.
Maha Shankara Varaprasad Garu Domestic box office
Maha ShankaraVaraprasad Garu earned Rs 8 crore on its second Monday (day 8) at the domestic box office. This was a significant drop (56%) from its first Sunday (day 7) earnings of Rs 17.65 crore. That was a slight decline from its Saturday (day 6) collection of Rs 18.90 crore, a marginal dip from its Friday (day 5) earnings of Rs 19.50 crore. On Thursday (day 4), the Chiranjeevi-starrer minted Rs 22 crore, a significant increase from its Wednesday (day 3) earnings of Rs 19.50 crore.
On Tuesday (day 2), Maha ShankaraVaraprasad Garu garnered Rs 18.75 crore, a 42% drop from its opening day collection of Rs 32.25 crore. Its day 1 earnings have been its highest in a single day so far, even more than what it earned on the festival of Sakranthi or any of the subsequent weekend days. The Chiranjeevi-starrer had already garnered Rs 9.35 crore from paid previews prior to its release, as per Sacnilk.
The total box office collection of Maha ShankaraVaraprasad Garu after eight days at the box office in India stands at Rs 165.90 crore. This is more than what its fellow Telugu Sakranthi release — Maruthi’s horror comedy The Raja Saab, starring Prabhas — has earned in its first 11 days at the domestic box office. Having released on January 10, and enjoying an opening weekend before the release of the Chiranjeevi-starrer, Prabhas’ film has managed to earn only Rs 140.50 crore so far, despite securing a pan-India release across five languages.
Meanwhile, the only major Tamil release this Sankranthi — Sudha Kongara’s period political action drama Parasakthi, starring Sivakarthikeyan, has managed to earn only Rs 49.45 crore in 10 days at the domestic box office. This is despite lack of any competition from what could’ve been the biggest Sakranthi release this year had it not been postponed — H Vinoth’s action thriller Jana Nayagan, starring Thalapathy Vijay in his final film before his political plunge.
Maha Shankara Varaprasad Garu Worldwide box office
Maha ShankaraVaraprasad Garu continues its impressive run at the worldwide box office as well. Made on a budget of Rs 200 crore, the film broke even within just six days globally. It has earned Rs 35.25 crore at the overseas box office. As per its producer Shine Screens’ post on X on Sunday, the Chiranjeevi-starrer had already earned Rs 261 crore at the worldwide box office in six days. If even the domestic box office earnings from the next two days are added, the film would’ve already crossed Rs 285 crore.
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Not only that, it has become the actor’s highest grossing film in North America, beating the record of his 2019 blockbuster epic period action drama Sye Raa Narsimha Reddy, helmed by Surender Reddy. Maha ShankaraVaraprasad Garu has also grossed $3 million in the US alone, out of the $4.2 million in North America.
