Tollywood Top 10 Telugu Pre-release Business Movies: ‘Sye Raa Narasimha Reddy’ Unbeaten by ‘Devara’

There’s just a week left until the release of Tarak’s latest film ‘Devara‘, and it’s the talk of the town. Matching the buzz, the movie team is also intensively promoting it, creating substantial hype. Reports suggest that ‘Devara’ has achieved record-breaking pre-release business, marking unprecedented theatrical business in NTR’s career. How much is ‘Devara’s pre-release business? What is the break-even target? What are the top-10 Telugu films that have done the highest pre-release business so far? Let’s find out about this special feature.

How much is Devara’s pre-release business?

Directed by Koratala Siva and starring NTR, ‘Devara’ reportedly saw massive pre-release business. The theatrical rights alone are said to have been sold for Rs. 185 crores. In the two Telugu states, the rights went for Rs. 115 crores. It’s reported that ‘Devara’ fetched Rs. 45 crores in the Nizam area alone. In Ceded, the business is said to be around Rs. 22 crores. Karnataka witnessed a business of Rs. 15 crores, Tamil Nadu Rs. 6 crores, and Kerala Rs. 50 lakhs. In the US, it’s Rs. 26 crores and in the Hindi belt, Rs. 15 crores, totaling Rs. 185 crores in all areas combined. To break even, ‘Devara’ needs to recover Rs. 200 crores.

Star Directors as Chief Guests!

Grand arrangements are being made for the pre-release event of ‘Devara’, scheduled for the 22nd of this month in Hyderabad. According to the latest buzz, three star directors are expected to attend the event. Directors Rajamouli, Prashanth Neel, and Trivikram are said to be participating. There’s also a chance that superstar Mahesh Babu will attend. However, clarity on this is awaited. Amidst criticisms that the team focused more on promotions in the north, inviting these star directors and Mahesh as a guest seems to be a strategy to counteract these criticisms.

Top Movies in Pre-release Business

Previously, only Bollywood and Hollywood films were thought capable of huge pre-release business, but director Rajamouli changed that perception entirely for Tollywood. Telugu films have now demonstrated their capability by conducting pre-release business north of Rs. 350 crores. Let’s look at the top-10 Telugu films with the highest pre-release business:

RRR

Directed by SS Rajamouli and starring NTR and Ram Charan, this movie topped the charts with the highest pre-release business among Telugu films. Including digital, satellite, and theatrical rights, RRR conducted business worth approximately Rs. 480 crores, with Rs. 191 crores coming from just the two Telugu states.

Kalki 2898 AD

Directed by Nag Ashwin and featuring Prabhas, Amitabh, and Kamal Haasan, ‘Kalki 2898 AD‘ set new records, garnering a pre-release business of Rs. 385 crores. It did business of Rs. 180 crores in the Telugu states, Rs. 70 crores overseas, and Rs. 85 crores in the Hindi market. It grossed over Rs. 1200 crores worldwide.

Baahubali 2

Another Rajamouli direction, starring Prabhas, Anushka, and Rana, this sequel to Baahubali raked in massive collections. Its pre-release business was reported at Rs. 350 crores, with over Rs. 190 crores from the Telugu states alone.

Salaar 

Following the success of KGF, director Prashanth Neel and star Prabhas brought ‘Salaar‘ to the screen. This film achieved global pre-release business of Rs. 345 crores, with Rs. 120 crores from the Telugu states.

Saaho 

Post-Baahubali, Prabhas starred in ‘Saaho‘, directed by Sujeeth, which made waves with its pre-release business of Rs. 280 crores. It notably made Rs. 120 crores in North India alone.

Adipurush 

Directed by Om Raut and featuring Prabhas, this mythological film based on the Ramayana, with Kriti Sanon as Sita, drew significant expectations and did pre-release business over Rs. 240 crores.

Radhe Shyam

Directed by Radha Krishna Kumar and starring Prabhas and Pooja Hegde, ‘Radhe Shyam‘ showcased Prabhas in a completely different look and managed a worldwide pre-release business of Rs. 202.80 crores, with Rs. 107 crores from the Telugu states alone.

Sye Raa Narasimha Reddy 

Starring Chiranjeevi, this film achieved pre-release business of Rs. 187.25 crores, marking it as the highest in Chiranjeevi’s career. Notably, it broke even just in the Telugu states.

Devara

This Koratala Siva and Junior NTR collaboration did pre-release business of Rs. 185 crores, securing its place in the top-9. This is noted as the highest in NTR’s solo career.

Pushpa

Directed by creative director Sukumar and starring Allu Arjun and Rashmika Mandanna, ‘Pushpa: The Rise‘ impressed with its collection storm. It did business of Rs. 160 crores, combining theatrical rights in five languages, satellite, dubbing, and digital rights, demonstrating Allu Arjun’s box office stamina.