Mahesh Babu's Guntur Kaaram vs Teja Sajja's HanuMan at box office — who is winning the Sankranti race?

The beginning of 2024 brought unexpected challenges for stakeholders in the Telugu film industry as cracks in the film exhibition process became apparent. Telugu superstar Mahesh Babu's Guntur Kaaram was obviously given the majority of the screens in the Telugu states over HanuMan, starring Teja Sajja.

However, the dynamics shifted when HanuMan garnered strong word of mouth, contrasting with overwhelmingly negative reviews for Guntur Kaaram. This marked a rare instance where a movie led by a major superstar found itself on the back foot against a film featuring a non-star actor. The industry is currently grappling with the dilemma of whether to pivot away from Guntur Kaaram and embrace HanuMan or to maintain faith in Mahesh's superstardom, hoping it will prevail over unfavourable reviews and attract audiences during an extended holiday period.

In the meantime, the producers of HanuMan have already approached the Telugu Film Producers Council accusing a section of the theatre owners of indulging in unfair trade practices by refusing to screen the film as per agreement. This move is seen as an effort to manipulate the market to give an undue edge to other new releases over HanuMan.

ALSO READ: HanuMan movie review: Only god can save this unimaginative cash-grab movie

Many have alleged that HanuMan has not been given a sufficient number of screens to match the growing demand for the movie across the state. "Be it Telugu or Hindi or Any Film, #Hanuman is dominating every Release in Bookings on National Level but in Hyderabad where the film is Born at it doesn't have Proper showcasing. Only 5 Single Screens. No release in Major City Areas like Dilshuknagar, KPHB and etc.,. Audiences are being forced to opt for other films by Blocking Theatres despite ordinary occupancy in Holiday season," said AndhraBoxOffice.

Guntur Kaaram vs HanuMan

Mahesh's Guntur Kaaram, as expected, took a huge opening worldwide on January 12. According to producers Haarika & Hassine Creations, the film grossed over Rs 94 crore from its global ticket sales on its opening day. On the second day, however, the collection saw a massive drop. As per the producers, the film's total two-day global gross was pegged at Rs 127 crore.

In the meantime, HanuMan gained a lot of traction following its paid premieres on the eve of its wide release. The film is said to have earned Rs 10 crore from its worldwide opening, despite its limited screen count. On Saturday, the film's total collection is said to be over Rs 20 crore. The film's popularity has only grown in the following days. As per reports, in the last two days, HanuMan has sold over 10 lakh tickets on BookMyShow alone.

Not just in Telugu states, HanuMan has also struck a chord with audiences in Tamil Nadu, Karnataka, and the Hindi-speaking belts. HanuMan is expected to outperform all its competitors this Sankranti.

Guntur Kaaram is written and directed by Trivikram Srinivas. Besides Mahesh, the film also stars Sreeleela, Meenakshi Chaudhary, Ramya Krishna, Jayaram, Prakash Raj, and Jagapathi Babu.

ALSO READ: Guntur Kaaram Review - Mahesh Babu's electrifying performance is the saving grace of this routine action drama

HanuMan is written and directed by Prasanth Varma. It's a superhero movie based on the mythology of Lord Hanuman. Besides Teja Sajja, it stars Amritha Aiyer, Varalaxmi Sarathkumar, Raj Deepak Shetty and Vinay Rai.

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