SS Rajamouli’s highly-anticipated Telugu title RRR has shot off the mark both at home and abroad. With an estimated 137 crore ($18 million) as of Friday in India, the epic broke records to set the best opening day for a local film ever. In doing so, Rajamouli surpassed his own previous record holder in the market, 2017’s Baahubali 2: The Closure. Globally, opening day in India, along with North America and other offshore launches, totaled an estimated 223 crore (US$30.5 million).
While these numbers come from a combination of local producers and analysts, it’s notoriously difficult to get solid numbers out of India, especially when a film is released in four different language versions, as is the case with RRR. Some areas also provide net figures, while others rely on gross and percentage of final revenue. (For such a prolific, important, and enthusiastic theater market, it would be nice to finally strike a balance.)
Although some local media coverage estimates vary, RRR is being hailed as a record-breaking blockbuster. Talent has been high fives and saying thank you all day.
#RRRMovie smashes the record collections of Day 1 and crosses Baahubali 2
India’s biggest blockbuster has a new name 🔥🌊🤩#RoaRRRingBlockbuster #penmovies pic.twitter.com/4VKKrrhEAA
— PEN INDIA LTD. (@PenMovies) March 26, 2022
Thank you 🙏🙏 pic.twitter.com/689w1QMl2w
— Ram Charan (@AlwaysRamCharan) March 26, 2022
As Deadline reported on Friday, the Jr. NTR/Ram Charan star has already had a smashing start in the US and plans to open nearly $12 million there.
The film that has had to withstand Covid delays and whose title also features Rise! Roar! Revolt! tells the story of friends who discover they stand on opposite sides of India’s struggle for independence. Deadline’s review called it “crescendo after crescendo of action, never boring but not exhausting either” and “a really great story”.
We’ll have more when the numbers come out.