Telugu superstar Jr. NTR returns to the big screens with director Koratala Siva’s action drama Devara: Part 1 which is set to unleash at the box office tomorrow, September 27. It is the actor’s first film since SS Rajamouli’s directorial blockbuster RRR in March 2022.
Devara has been creating waves with its advance booking response for the last few days. The movie’s pre-sales have crossed 40 crores gross for the opening day in India (including block seats) while worldwide sales have surpassed the 75 crores mark which is one of the biggest for an Indian movie.
The historic pre-sales response to Devara has confirmed 100+ crores worldwide start at the box office and this will be Jr. NTR’s back-to-back 100 crores opener and first solo movie to take this sort of opening at the box office. While the pre-sales aren’t encouraging in the Hindi belt, the same is not the case in South Indian regions where tickets are getting sold out within minutes. The movie is having the best response in Telugu states where bookings are simply historic, followed by Karnataka and a decent response in Tamil Nadu.
Given the pre-sales trend and how the market has behaved in the past, Devara is expected to score the opening in the range of 70 crore gross in Telugu states (Andhra Pradesh and Telangana). This will be one of the biggest openings ever in this part of the country if the projection holds. Apart from AP/TG, Karnataka is another strong market for Telugu stars and pre-sales there are excellent. The movie is expected to score 10+ crores gross collection in the state. In Tamil Nadu and Kerala, Devara is heading towards the opening in the range of 3 crore gross with a large contribution from TN.
The North India is the market to watch out for Devara as far as the box office is concerned. Post RRR, there have been high expectations from Jr. NTR to deliver in Hindi which has become a strong market for Telugu movies. The pre-sales of the movie in Hindi hasn’t been that strong but are still better than some of recent Bollywood movies featuring top stars.
In Hindi, the movie is expected to take an opening of 5-6 crore gross which can be called a decent start. If it manages to get positive word of mouth, Devara has a real shot at scoring a healthy collection. Including all versions, the domestic opening of Devara is expected to be around 85-90 crores.
The overseas pre-sales are also sensational and Devara is headed to take the opening of around $5 million (40 crores gross), for a worldwide opening of around 125 crores gross. If the projection holds, it will be the second biggest opening of 2024 after Prabhas-fronted Kalki 2898 AD.
Jr. NTR’s popularity is at an all-time high post the mega success of RRR and the numbers coming in from the domestic and international markets for Devara are a true statement of his sheer stardom which is growing day by day not just in India but internationally as well.
