Biggest Drop For Prabhas Post Baahubali As The Raja Saab CRASHES On Monday

Prabhas starrer The Raja Saab is staring at an uphill battle at the box office, and the numbers after its first Monday suggest that the film may already be slipping beyond recovery. After opening to curiosity driven crowds, the Maruthi directorial has witnessed a sharp and steady decline, culminating in a disastrous weekday performance that has raised serious questions about its long term theatrical prospects.

The first Monday proved especially brutal, with the film registering a massive 65 percent drop at the domestic box office. This steep fall came after successive declines of 51 percent and 26 percent over the weekend, which means that by day four, The Raja Saab earned nearly 88 percent less than what it collected on its opening day.

A worrying Monday crash sets alarm bells ringing

Despite recording the weakest opening for any Prabhas film in the post pandemic era, The Raja Saab still managed to pull in Rs.100 crore worldwide on its first day, largely driven by the actor’s loyal fan base and strong initial buzz. However, the momentum collapsed almost immediately, with sharp drops on Saturday and Sunday indicating that word of mouth was far from encouraging.

On day four, the film failed the crucial Monday test, collecting just Rs.6.60 crore net in India. The Hindi version contributed only Rs.1.75 crore, while the Tamil version barely scraped together Rs.7 lakh, reflecting the film’s struggle to find traction beyond its core markets. By the end of Monday, the total domestic net collection stood at Rs.114.60 crore, translating to around Rs.137 crore gross.

Overseas, the film benefited from a solid opening day in the United States, which helped push its international earnings past the 3.5 million dollar mark. Even with this support, the film’s three day global total currently stands at Rs.170 crore gross, a figure that appears underwhelming when viewed against the scale and expectations surrounding the project.

Comparisons that Prabhas would rather avoid

The Raja Saab’s trajectory becomes even more concerning when compared to Prabhas’ previous underperformers. Both Saaho and Adipurush, despite facing severe criticism and steep drops, managed to earn over Rs.15 crore net on their respective fourth days. In contrast, The Raja Saab has not even crossed half of that figure, placing it at the bottom of the actor’s recent box office outings.

Given the reported budget of Rs.350 crore, the film’s chances of breaking even now look extremely slim. Trade analysts suggest that unless there is an unexpected turnaround driven by family audiences or regional markets, the financial outcome could be far worse than initially anticipated. The numbers so far indicate that the film is tracking significantly lower than even Prabhas’ most debated projects.

From vintage promise to box office disappointment

Directed by Maruthi, The Raja Saab was positioned as a nostalgic return for Prabhas to the family entertainer space after more than a decade. Following the massive success of the Baahubali series, the actor largely stayed within the mass action genre, and this film was promoted as a refreshing change that would showcase his softer, more charming side, often referred to by fans as vintage Prabhas.

The ensemble cast includes Sanjay Dutt, Malavika Mohanan, Nidhhi Agerwal, Riddhi Kumar, Boman Irani, and Zarina Wahab, adding to the film’s appeal on paper. However, once the film hit theatres, largely negative reviews from critics and lukewarm audience reactions quickly dulled the initial excitement. What was meant to be a genre shift celebration instead turned into a cautionary tale about misplaced expectations.

At this stage, The Raja Saab risks being remembered as one of the weakest performers in Prabhas’ filmography after the unprecedented pan India love he received for Baahubali. This is particularly worrying given his inconsistent post Baahubali track record, which has seen more misses than hits, with Salaar and Kalki 2898 AD standing out as the only clear exceptions. For now, The Raja Saab appears to be another stumble in a career phase that desperately needs stability.