Overview
- The horror‑comedy released on January 9 after paid premieres on January 8, rolling out pan‑India in Telugu, Tamil, Hindi, Kannada and Malayalam with a star cast including Sanjay Dutt and Boman Irani.
- Advance sales were strong, with Sacnilk first tallying Rs 4.31 crore in India and Venky Box Office reporting $1.03 million from the US, as Times Now later cited Sacnilk estimates that Indian advances topped Rs 15 crore by release day.
- Early audience feedback is mixed, with praise for Prabhas’ screen presence offset by criticism of the screenplay, uneven VFX and a weak climax, suggesting word of mouth will be decisive.
- Release economics were buoyed by pricing decisions, as the Telangana High Court cleared the way for ticket‑price discretion and Andhra Pradesh approved temporary hikes of Rs 150 in single screens and Rs 200 in multiplexes for 10 days.
- Fan discourse zeroed in on the director’s publicized address from a promotional event, while a reported fire incident linked to fans burning confetti inside an Odisha theatre drew online criticism over safety.