Guntur Kaaram Total Collection: A Box Office Analysis of Mahesh Babu’s Latest Film

Guntur Kaaram Total Collection

Guntur Kaaram, the highly anticipated Telugu film starring Mahesh Babu, hit theaters on January 12, 2024, amidst great fanfare and expectations. As the dust settles on its theatrical run, let’s dive into a comprehensive analysis of the film’s performance at the box office, its reception, and its overall impact on the Telugu film industry.

The Opening Weekend: A Strong Start

Guntur Kaaram opened to packed theaters across Telugu-speaking states and overseas markets. The film’s first-day collection was impressive, with ₹38.88 crore coming in from the Andhra Pradesh and Telangana regions alone. This strong opening can be attributed to Mahesh Babu’s star power and the festive Sankranti release period, which traditionally sees high footfalls in theaters.

The worldwide opening day collection stood at an estimated ₹52.03 crore (approximately ₹79.30 crore gross). This initial surge in collections raised hopes for a blockbuster performance. However, as we’ll see, the film’s journey at the box office took an unexpected turn in the following days.

Week-by-Week Performance

Week 1: Riding the Festive Wave

The first week of Guntur Kaaram’s release coincided with the Sankranti festival, a prime time for movie releases in the Telugu states. Let’s break down the daily collections for the first week:

  • Day 1 (Friday): ₹38.88 crore
  • Day 2 (Saturday): ₹8.57 crore
  • Day 3 (Sunday): ₹9.01 crore
  • Day 4 (Monday): ₹9.67 crore
  • Day 5 (Tuesday): ₹7.32 crore
  • Day 6 (Wednesday): ₹5.03 crore
  • Day 7 (Thursday): ₹2.83 crore

The total collection for the first week in Andhra Pradesh and Telangana was approximately ₹81.31 crore. While the opening day numbers were stellar, there was a noticeable drop in collections from the second day onwards. This decline suggested that word-of-mouth reviews might not have been as positive as expected.

Week 2: The Post-Festive Slump

As the festive period came to an end, Guntur Kaaram faced a significant drop in collections:

  • Day 8 (Friday): ₹1.79 crore
  • Day 9 (Saturday): ₹1.67 crore
  • Day 10 (Sunday): ₹2.00 crore
  • Day 11 (Monday): ₹0.58 crore
  • Day 12 (Tuesday): ₹0.34 crore
  • Day 13 (Wednesday): ₹0.24 crore
  • Day 14 (Thursday): ₹0.16 crore

The second-week total for AP and TG regions amounted to approximately ₹6.78 crore, a sharp decline from the first week’s numbers. This drop indicated that the film was struggling to maintain its momentum beyond the initial festive rush.

Week 3 and Beyond: The Long Tail

The third week saw further decline in collections, with the AP-TG regions contributing about ₹2.32 crore. By this point, it was clear that Guntur Kaaram was not going to be the blockbuster many had hoped for.

The film continued to run in theaters for a fourth week, but with significantly reduced screen count and daily collections. The fourth-week collections were modest, with daily figures ranging from ₹0.2 crore to ₹0.35 crore.

Regional Breakdown

To get a clearer picture of Guntur Kaaram’s performance, let’s look at its collection across different regions:

Andhra Pradesh and Telangana

The film’s performance in its home territory was crucial. Here’s how it fared across different areas:

  • Nizam: ₹33.85 crore
  • Ceeded: ₹9.75 crore
  • UA: ₹12.65 crore
  • East: ₹9.80 crore
  • West: ₹6.00 crore
  • Guntur: ₹8.30 crore
  • Krishna: ₹6.48 crore
  • Nellore: ₹3.67 crore

The total collection from AP-TG stood at ₹90.50 crore (share), which translates to approximately ₹139.80 crore in gross collections.

Other Indian Markets

  • Karnataka and Rest of India: ₹6.56 crore

While Mahesh Babu has a significant fan following in Karnataka, the film’s performance in markets outside the Telugu states was relatively muted.

Overseas Performance

The overseas market has always been a strong point for Mahesh Babu’s films. Guntur Kaaram collected around ₹14.75 crore from international markets. The breakdown of major overseas territories is as follows:

  • United States: $2,475,000
  • Canada: $130,000
  • Australia: $225,000
  • Middle East: $225,000
  • United Kingdom: $240,000
  • Rest of World: $300,000

The total overseas collection amounted to approximately $3.60 million (₹30 crore).

Final Worldwide Figures

After compiling data from various sources, we can summarize Guntur Kaaram’s box office performance as follows:

  • India Net Collection: ₹126.62 crore
  • India Gross Collection: ₹149.5 crore
  • Overseas Collection: ₹31 crore
  • Worldwide Gross Collection: ₹180.5 crore

It’s worth noting that there are slight variations in the reported figures across different sources, which is common in box office reporting. However, the overall range of the worldwide collection falls between ₹171.50 crore and ₹184.05 crore.

Budget and Profitability

Guntur Kaaram was made on a substantial budget, estimated to be around ₹200 crore. This high budget was likely due to Mahesh Babu’s star status, elaborate production values, and extensive marketing efforts.

Given the final collections, it’s evident that the film underperformed in relation to its budget. The movie is estimated to have suffered losses of around ₹21.19 crore for its distributors. This financial outcome has led to Guntur Kaaram being labeled as a “box-office bomb” by some reports.

Comparison with Previous Mahesh Babu Films

To put Guntur Kaaram’s performance in perspective, it’s useful to compare it with Mahesh Babu’s recent filmography:

  1. Sarkaru Vaari Paata (2022): ₹200+ crore worldwide
  2. Sarileru Neekevvaru (2020): ₹260+ crore worldwide
  3. Maharshi (2019): ₹175+ crore worldwide

Guntur Kaaram’s collection of around ₹180 crore worldwide places it below these recent outings, marking it as one of the lower-performing films in Mahesh Babu’s recent career.

Conclusion

Guntur Kaaram’s box office journey serves as a case study in the evolving dynamics of the Telugu film industry. While the film managed to collect a substantial amount, its failure to meet the high expectations set by its budget and star power highlights the challenges faced by big-budget productions in an increasingly content-driven market.

The film’s performance underscores the need for a balance between star power, compelling storytelling, and prudent budgeting. As the industry continues to evolve, the lessons learned from Guntur Kaaram’s box office run will likely influence future production and marketing strategies in Telugu cinema.

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