Kalki 2898 AD has emerged as this year's biggest box office opener, breaking records with a strong performance across multiple languages. According to industry tracker Sacnilk, the film minted Rs 95 crore nett in India on its first day, with a global collection of Rs 191.5 crore reported by Vyjayanthi Movies. The film was released in Telugu, Tamil, Hindi, Kannada and Malayalam, with the Telugu version leading the charge with a collection of Rs 64.5 crore nett. Hindi followed with Rs 24 crore, Tamil with Rs 4 crore, Malayalam with Rs 2.2 crore, and Kannada with Rs 30 lakh. Notably, the Telugu release saw an impressive 85.15% occupancy.
Compared to previous blockbusters, Kalki 2898 AD's first-day nett collection exceeds last year's top opener Jawan, starring Shah Rukh Khan, which earned Rs 75 crore. Jawan amassed Rs 640.25 crore nett in India and a total of Rs 1,160 crore worldwide, as per Sacnilk.
Kalki 2898 AD now stands as the third-highest opener in Indian cinema, surpassing Yash's KGF Chapter 2, which earned Rs 159 crore on its opening day.
While Kalki 2898 AD's worldwide collection outpaces KGF Chapter 2, it falls short of the nett collection record set by Baahubali 2 and RRR. Baahubali 2, starring Prabhas, holds the record with Rs 217 crore, followed by RRR with Rs 223 crore.
Kalki 2898 AD features a dystopian world. The post-apocalyptic film is inspired by Hindu scriptures and is set in the year 2898 AD.
The film is directed by Nag Ashwin and stars Prabhas, Amitabh Bachchan, Deepika Padukone, Kamal Haasan and Disha Patani in lead roles.