S.S. Rajamouli’s Indian blockbuster “RRR,” starring NTR Jr and Ram Charan, has grossed INR10 billion ($132 million) globally, according to numbers released by producer DVV Entertainment.
An action-drama set in the 1920s, the historical fiction story by Vijayendra Prasad and Rajamouli imagines real-life Indian freedom fighters Alluri Sitarama Raju (Ram Charan) and Komaram Bheem (NTR Jr) meeting and becoming fast friends. The occupying colonial British are their common enemy.
The film opened March 25 with $65 million, making it the leading film globally that weekend.
“RRR” now sits in third position in the list of Indian cinema’s all time box office champions behind Nitesh Tiwari’s “Dangal,” starring Aamir Khan, which grossed $311 million, and Rajamouli’s “Baahubali 2: The Conclusion,” starring Prabhas, which collected $278 million.
Business for “RRR” is expected to continue apace this week, but will be potentially impacted by two big releases on the Apr. 13-14 holiday frame, which is New Year’s day for several Indian communities.
“KGF: Chapter 2,” starring Yash and directed by Prashanth Neel, is geared for a wide release in its original Kannada language, alongside dubbed versions in the Telugu, Hindi, Tamil and Malayalam languages. The film is a sequel to 2018 hit “KGF: Chapter 1” that saw Yash playing a gangster on an undercover mission in the Kolar Gold Fields. The film grossed $33 million, making it the all time Kannada-language box office champion, and was a hit across India in its dubbed versions.
Also releasing is action film “Beast,” directed by Nelson and starring Vijay as a spy who combats terrorists who have taken over a mall. Vijay’s last film, “Master” (2021) grossed $40 million despite releasing during a time with pandemic-era seating restrictions.
These two releases, added to the continuing “RRR” run, mean that competition for screens in India and diaspora markets will be dominated by them. That has caused the producers of cricket-themed drama “Jersey” to postpone its release from Apr. 14 to April. 22. Starring Shahid Kapoor, “Jersey” is Gowtam Tinnanuri’s Hindi-language remake of his own 2019 hit Telugu-language film.