Kalki 2898 AD fever refuses to die down. The film, which hit the theatres today (June 27), has opened to positive reviews, with fans showering praise on the film. Early viewers from Thursday's shows have already labelled it a "blockbuster", while others claim it can rival Hollywood productions. A fan exiting the theatre at intermission said, “Completed the first half: Ah, world-class film. Even Hollywood cannot match the level of Tollywood. I have seen the first half, and people, especially those from the North, will get goosebumps. Excited for the second half.” Another fan, who travelled two hours to the theatre, praised Prabhas for his portrayal of Bhairava in Kalki 2898 AD. "We are fans of Prabhas. The film is good. We had to watch it because a film as massive as Kalki 2898 AD was released after a gap of two years," another fan added.
Early X (formerly Twitter) reviews show that the audience is impressed with Nag Ashwin's much-anticipated sci-fi film. Social media influencer and critic Amutha Bharati called the first half “decent” but noted that the second half is “above average.” A fan tweeted, "Kalki 2898 AD deserves a watch in theaters for its scale, vision, and top-notch action sequences. However, the lack of drama and emotions is a big miss."
Another fan wrote, "Except for unnecessary lag in the first half. Kalki 2898 AD is no less a Rajamouli Range Vision, especially the last 30 Mins. Visuals & ]taking - never before in Indian cinema. Nag Ashwin story writing, taking & visuals are brilliant."
A comment read, "Kalki 2898 ad is a flawless 10/10 film in my eyes (without any bias), i'm still trying to find the mistakes & failing terribly. Nag Ashwin, I'm a fan!!! cannot wait to witness the Kalki cinematic universe — deepika padukone, a bang-on performance as expected, the mother!"
Projected to earn over Rs 120 crore in India and Rs 60 crore overseas, totalling over Rs 180 crore on its first day, Kalki 2898 AD is all set for a spectacular box-office opening. According to Sacnilk, the film is expected to reach Rs 200 crore on its opening day. The film has already garnered around Rs 21.17 crore (India nett) on its first day across all languages. If Nag Ashwin's film, starring Amitabh Bachchan, Deepika Padukone and Kamal Haasan, achieves the Rs 200 crore mark on day one, it will become the third Indian movie, following RRR and Baahubali 2, to reach this milestone.
Kalki 2898 AD features a dystopian world. The post-apocalyptic film is inspired by Hindu scriptures and is set in the year 2898 AD.