Image was shared on X. (courtesy: taran_adarsh)
Prashanth Varma'sHanu-Man is making all the right noises at the box office. The film, which is touted as the first Telugu-language superhero movie, is rewriting record books and how. Released on January 12, Hanu-Man's business in its opening weekend has surpassed the collection of Hindi versions of blockbusters like KGF: Chapter 1, Kantara and Pushpa: The Rise for the corresponding time frame. This amazing development was announced by trade analyst and film critic Taran Adarsh on Monday, in a post on X (formerly Twitter). The trade analyst revealed that the film on day 3 minted ₹ 6.06 crore (Hindi version) at the domestic box office. After this, the film's total business now stands at ₹ 12.26 crore at the Indian box office. While sharing the poster of the film, Taran Adarsh crowned the film as the “first hit of 2024”.
Sharing the poster of Hanu-Man's titular character played by Teja Sajja, Taran Adarsh wrote, “Here's a big surprise… Hanu-Man first *3-day* [opening weekend] total is higher than KGF [first part] and Kantara, at par with Pushpa [note: all Hindi dubbed versions]… Yes, you read it right! Hanu-Man emerges first hit of 2024… Packs an impressive total in its opening weekend… While mass pockets continue to dominate, the national chains have also joined the party… Friday 2.15 crore, Saturday 4.05 crore, Sunday 6.06 crore. Total: ₹ 12.26 crore. India business. Note: Hindi version. Going forward, the strong hold in mass sectors is a big plus, since these pockets will be driving its biz on weekdays… Also, as highlighted yesterday, a lack of major releases - till Fighter [25 January] - should help Hanu-Man cement its status. Telugu version in North India: Friday 24 lacs, Saturday 40 lacs, Sunday 45 lacs. Total: ₹ 1.09 crore.”
Hanu-Man is one of the several Tamil and Telugu films to have been released during the Pongal/ Sankranti weekend. The numbers show that Hanu-Man is winning the Sankranti race at least in the Telugu states. However, as per reports, the makers of the film have registered a complaint over unfair theatre practices with the Telugu Film Producers Council. As per Hindustan Times, Producer Niranja Reddy has alleged that a few theatres that had agreed to screen Hanu-Man on January 12 had refused to do so. The makers' statement read, “The theatres did not screen the movie Hanu-Man as per the agreement. The distributors and producers suffered huge losses. So these theatres must immediately start showing the movie Hanu-Man and bear the loss so far.”
Meanwhile, film critic Saibal Chatterjee, in his review for NDTV, gave Hanu-Man a 2.5-star rating. He wrote, “The first hour or so of the 158-minute movie is devoted to setting the stage for the grand transition - the man's extraordinary leap into the league of superheroes as the world knows them. It is only after 40 minutes of meandering through his light-hearted shenanigans and comic misadventures that Hanu Man reaches the point from where the essential classic confrontation between good and evil can begin.”
Apart from Teja Sajja, Hanu-Man features Amritha Aiyer, Varalaxmi Sarathkumar, Deepak Shetty and Vennela Kishore in important roles.