Prabhas' The Raja Saab sees sharp drop on box office day 4, despite strong opening

Dubai: Prabhas' latest film The Raja Saab opened with impressive numbers but has struggled to maintain momentum, with its first Monday showing a significant decline in collections.

The Raja Saab, starring Prabhas in the lead role, initially showcased high potential of becoming a blockbuster. The film's first day collection reached Rs 537.5 million, suggesting strong audience interest and star power drawing crowds to theatres.

However, the movie opened to mixed reactions from audiences and critics alike. What seemed like a promising start soon revealed warning signs as earnings began showing a downward trend from the second day itself.

According to Sacnilk reports, the horror comedy has pulled in just Rs 54 crore at the box office on Day 4, its first Monday. This represents a massive drop from the opening day figures and indicates the film is failing to sustain audience interest beyond its initial release.

The total collection of the film in India now stands at Rs 1.134 billion. While this is a respectable figure, the trajectory suggests the film may struggle to reach the blockbuster status fans had hoped for.

The day-wise collection reveals the extent of the decline. After earning Rs 9.15 crore on its preview day (Thursday), the film peaked at Rs 537.5 million on its first Friday. Saturday saw collections drop to Rs 260 million, followed by Rs 191 million on Sunday. The Monday figure of Rs 54 million represents a steep fall from the weekend numbers.

The horror comedy directed by Maruthi had an overall 24.64 per cent Telugu occupancy on Monday, January 12 2026. This relatively low occupancy rate on what should be a crucial weekday indicates that word of mouth may not be working in the film's favour.

Despite its struggles, The Raja Saab is still performing better than some long-running films. On Day 39 since its release in theatres, the Aditya Dhar directorial Dhurandhar managed to rake in Rs 22.5 million at the box office. The total collection of that film in India is now Rs 8.079 billion nett.

However, this comparison offers little comfort. Dhurandhar is in its sixth week of release, whilst The Raja Saab is showing these declining numbers in its first week itself.

The mixed reactions from audiences suggest the film may not have delivered on expectations. Horror comedies are a tricky genre to execute, requiring a delicate balance between scares and laughs. When that balance is off, audiences tend to lose interest quickly.

Prabhas' star power alone was not enough to sustain collections beyond the opening weekend. In the current box office climate, content quality and word of mouth matter more than ever. Films can no longer rely solely on star appeal to maintain momentum.

The sharp drop from weekend to weekday collections is particularly concerning. Whilst some decline is normal as Monday arrives, the extent of The Raja Saab's fall suggests deeper issues with audience reception.

Directed by Maruthi, The Raja Saab is a horror comedy with Prabhas in the lead role. Malavika Mohanan, Nidhhi Agerwal, and Riddhi Kumar serve as the female leads. The film also features Sanjay Dutt, Boman Irani, Zarina Wahab, Yogi Babu, and Brahmanandam in supporting roles.

The movie was released in theatres on January 9th 2026. Despite the current performance concerns, the makers have already announced a sequel titled The Raja Saab 2: Circus 1935, though no release date has been unveiled yet.