Box office: Prabhas-Kriti's 'Adipurush' starts strong, rakes in Rs. 95cr

Om Raut's Adipurush created significant buzz prior to its theatrical release on Friday (June 16). Starring Prabhas as Ram, Kriti Sanon as Sita, and Saif Ali Khan as Raavan, Adipurush mostly garnered negative reviews from critics, primarily over the alleged distorted portrayal of the revered epic Ramayana. However, defying critical reception, Adipurush registered some extraordinary box office numbers on opening day. Here's a breakdown.

Why does this story matter?

Adipurush has been embroiled in controversy since its teaser was released in October, and the main point of contention was the poor quality of VFX. Initially slated to release in January, Adipurush was postponed to address the above-mentioned VFX issues and deliver a more refined movie. However, even after release, Raut's film faced criticism for its subpar VFX quality and Ramayana's shoddy adaptation.

Day 1 collections: 'Adipurush' became 3rd best opener in Hindi

According to early estimates from industry tracker Sacnilk, Adipurush earned a jaw-dropping Rs. 95cr from all languages in India on day one. Interestingly, the Telugu market has contributed the highest collection of Rs. 58.5cr, followed by the Hindi version (Rs. 35cr). With this, the mythological drama reportedly became the third-highest opening film in Hindi in the post-pandemic era, after Pathaan and KGF: Chapter 2.

'Adipurush' faced harsh criticism for modern-day language

Meanwhile, Adipurush received backlash from netizens, particularly with regard to the delivery of tapori-style dialogues by Devdatta Nage in the role of Hanuman. A Twitter user expressed disappointment by canceling her tickets and shared the screenshot saying she didn't want her daughter to see the "wrong Ramayana." Cringe-worthy dialogues became a topic of extensive discussion on Twitter, leading to hashtags like #AdipurushDisaster and #BoycottAdipurush.

Take a look at this Twitter user's post

Meanwhile, here's everything about 'Adipurush'

Adipurush, simultaneously shot in Hindi and Telugu, is produced by T-Series and Retrophiles. In addition to Prabhas, Sanon, and Khan, Adipurush also features Sunny Singh as Lakshmana and Vatsal Sheth as Meghanada, among other prominent cast members. The music for the film has been composed by Ajay-Atul and Sachet-Parampara. After its theatrical run, Adipurush will reportedly be available for streaming on Amazon Prime Video.