The film ‘Kalki 2898 AD,’ directed by Nag Ashwin and starring pan-India star Prabhas, was released worldwide on Thursday, June 27th, and is receiving rave reviews everywhere. With the positive talk coming from all sides, audiences are showing great enthusiasm for this movie. As ‘Kalki’ becomes a super hit, everyone’s attention is now focused on its first-day collections. The film, a visual wonder in the mythology-futuristic genre, was estimated by trade circles to collect over ₹200 crores on its first day. Did ‘Kalki’ reach that mark? How did Prabhas’ mania impact the box office? What all-time record did ‘Kalki’ create in the US? Let’s find out in this review.
Day 1 Collections
All eyes are currently on the Day 1 collections of ‘Kalki 2898 AD.’ The production house, Vyjayanthi Movies, has officially announced the first day’s earnings. The makers declared that ‘Kalki’ amassed ₹191.5 crores (GROSS) worldwide on its first day. They also released a special poster with the caption “Let’s Celebrate Cinema.” Initially, trade circles had predicted that ‘Kalki’ would collect over ₹200 crores on its first day, with analyses suggesting that all previous Day 1 records would be broken. However, ‘Kalki’ narrowly missed the ₹200 crore mark. Despite this, industry experts predict that ‘Kalki’ will surely join the ₹500 crore club by the end of this weekend.
All-Time Record
Prabhas’ ‘Kalki’ is creating a sensation in North America. The local audience is impressed by the performances of Prabhas and other top stars. Consequently, ‘Kalki’ set an all-time record in North America. It garnered a whopping $3.8 million from North American premieres, the highest collection for an Indian film in that region. ‘Kalki’ has thus achieved the distinction of being the first Indian film to earn this much. Following ‘Kalki’ are ‘RRR’ ($3.46 million), ‘Salaar’ ($2.6 million), and ‘Baahubali 2’ ($2.45 million).
Overseas Collections
Combining premieres and first-day collections, trade circles report that ‘Kalki’ collected $5 million on its first day in America. Among Telugu films, ‘Kalki’ secured the 5th position for the highest collections in just one day. It also set a record as the fastest film to collect $5 million. If these collections continue, ‘Kalki’ is expected to set a benchmark overseas. Experts predict that the collections will increase further over the weekend.
‘RRR’ Record Safe!
According to trade figures, ‘Kalki 2898 AD’ could not surpass the ‘RRR’ record. ‘RRR’ collected ₹223 crores (GROSS) on its first day, making it the top Indian film in terms of Day 1 collections. As per trade estimates, ‘Kalki 2898 AD’ halted at ₹180 crores, leaving the ‘RRR’ record intact. ‘Baahubali 2’ stands in second place with ₹217 crores. While ‘Kalki’ couldn’t break these records, it surpassed the records of ‘KGF 2’ (₹164.5 crores), ‘Salaar’ (₹158 crores), ‘Adipurush’ (₹136.8 crores), and ‘Saaho’ (₹125.6 crores) to secure a place in the top three.
Match Effect on Collections
The ‘Kalki 2898 AD’ team lagged in promoting the film on a grand scale like ‘Baahubali 2’ and ‘RRR.’ If they had done extensive promotions, the movie might have created new records. The T20 World Cup also affected the film’s collections. The audience’s interest in watching the India-England semi-final match on Thursday evening turned into a slight disadvantage. Additionally, Thursday being a working day impacted ‘Kalki’s’ collections. However, with positive talk everywhere, the collections of ‘Kalki’ are expected to increase significantly over the weekend.
Top 10 Highest Opening Day Collections in India
1. RRR (2022)
Directed by S.S. Rajamouli and starring Jr. NTR and Ram Charan, RRR set the record for the highest grossing film on its opening day, collecting Rs. 223.5 crores and sweeping all previous records.
2. Baahubali 2 (2017)
Also directed by Rajamouli, ‘Baahubali 2‘ is second on this list, with an opening day worldwide gross of Rs. 214.5 crores, holding the record for the highest Indian opening grosser for five years until RRR.
3. Salaar (2023)
Featuring Prabhas under the direction of Prashant Neel, ‘Salaar‘ collected Rs. 178.7 crores on its opening day, making it the highest-grossing film of 2023. Prabhas’s formidable presence was well received in action sequences, making ‘Salaar’ a fan favorite.
4. KGF 2 (2022)
Directed by Prashant Neel and starring Yash, ‘KGF 2‘ broke several box office records, becoming the third highest grossing film on its opening day with collections of Rs. 164.5 crores.
5. Adipurush (2023)
Despite being a dud, ‘Adipurush‘, directed by Om Raut and starring Prabhas as Ram and Kriti Sanon as Sita, managed good gross collections on its first day of Rs. 136.8 crores.
6. Jawan (2023)
Starring Bollywood’s Shah Rukh Khan and directed by prominent South Indian director Atlee, ‘Jawan‘ collected Rs. 129.6 crores on its opening day, setting a record for the highest opening day collection in Hindi cinema history.
7. Saaho (2019)
This action-packed film starring Prabhas and directed by Sujeeth, collected over Rs. 125.6 crores on its first day, confirming its blockbuster status.
8. Robo 2.0 (2018)
Starring Rajinikanth and directed by Shankar, with Akshay Kumar as the villain, ‘Robo 2.0‘ collected Rs. 105.6 crores on its opening day but couldn’t maintain its momentum later.
9. Pathaan (2023)
Featuring Shah Rukh Khan, ‘Pathaan‘ began the year with an opening day collection of Rs. 104.8 crores, giving Shah Rukh Khan a much-needed hit.
10. Jailer (2023)
The latest movie starring Rajinikanth, ‘Jailer‘ also set a record by collecting Rs. 91.2 crores on its first day, becoming the first Tamil film to achieve such high collections and overall grossing over Rs. 650 crores. The film is also performing well on OTT platforms.
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