Nandamuri Balakrishna (NBK) has struck gold with his latest release, Daaku Maharaaj, which opened significantly stronger than his previous film, Bhagavanth Kesari.
However, the Bobby Koli-directed film fell short of matching the opening day collections of NBK's last Sankranti blockbuster, Veera Simha Reddy.
Back in 2024, Bhagavanth Kesari managed a modest opening day collection of ₹16.6 crore. In stark contrast, Daaku Maharaaj debuted with an impressive ₹22 crore on Sunday, January 12, marking a remarkable 35% growth over the actor's last theatrical release.
However, NBK's previous Sankranti outing, Veera Simha Reddy (released on January 12, 2023), set a much higher benchmark with a whopping ₹33.6 crore opening, a significant ₹10 crore higher than his 2025 Sankranti release.
Interestingly, Daaku Maharaaj opened 80% higher than the last Sankranti success from Tollywood, HanuMan.
Teja Sajja's supernatural sci-fi drama, which debuted at ₹12.5 crore, went on to achieve a lifetime collection of ₹201 crore—a milestone that will be challenging for NBK to surpass.
Despite its strong start, Daaku Maharaaj couldn't outperform the opening day numbers of Mahesh Babu’s 2024 Sankranti hit, Guntur Kaaram. The latter raked in ₹42 crore on its first day and concluded its run with ₹127 crore in lifetime earnings.
With the extended Sankranti holiday season ahead, it remains to be seen whether Daaku Maharaaj can sustain its momentum and achieve significant box office growth.
