Tollywood had a bunch of new theatrical debutants this Sankranthi festival season with the likes of Guntur Kaaram, HanuMan, Saindhav, and Naa Saami Ranga hitting the marquee. Of the 4 of them, HanuMan is the only film that doesn't have a mainstream star in the lead role with the other three being headlined by Mahesh Babu, Venkatesh and Nagarjuna. So naturally, Teja Sajja starrer HanuMan started as an underdog in this Sankranthi box office clash.
However, HanuMan has now managed to punch above its weight as it is leading over superstar Mahesh Babu's in box office tracked markets like the USA, and Hindi belt. The film had grossed $4.3 million in the USA as opposed to Guntur Kaaram which grossed $2.35 million. In the Hindi belt, HanuMan clocked around Rs 17.5 crore nett in the first four days which is a fairly significant number for a film that doesn't have a familiar face for the Hindi audience. Guntur Kaaram wasn't released in Hindi so there is no scope for a pound-for-pound comparison here.
In the domestic Telugu market, Guntur Kaaram is leading the race in terms of revenues, given the wide release it got and Mahesh's exemplary pull amongst the family audience. HanuMan, on the other hand got a limited-screen release and it is running to packed capacities in almost every major center in AP and Telangana. There is no reliable accurate tracker for the box office number in the Telugu states so we can't pinpoint the number precisely.
As for Saindhav, the Venkatesh starrer opened to poor reviews and couldn't hold its ground at the box office. Nagarjuna's Naa Saami Ranga was made on a well-planned budget and it managed to pull the family audience to theaters and has nearly entered the safe zone in the Telugu states. It could perhaps even yield profits to the buyers.
When HanuMan was announced for release alongside other notable films this Sankranthi, the early implication was that it might struggle to hold its ground. However, the lord Hanuman-centric film has gone on a rampage at the box office and it could perhaps even be termed as the Sankranthi box office winner in terms of investments-returns. It has led the charge for other underdog films that are lined up for release in the course of 2024.
