South Indian cinema continues to reign supreme at the box office, with all top 10 all-time biggest opening films now belonging to the South.
Pawan Kalyan’s They Call Him OG has cemented its place on the list, joining an elite lineup of blockbusters.
Leading the chart is Pushpa 2, starring Allu Arjun and Rashmika Mandanna, which stormed the box office with a record-breaking ₹179.25 crore opening.
Close behind is SS Rajamouli’s magnum opus RRR, featuring Ram Charan and Jr NTR, which collected ₹134 crore on day one.
The phenomenon began with Baahubali 2: The Conclusion, which not only popularised the “pan-India” label but also kept the nation hooked with the iconic question, “Why did Kattappa kill Baahubali?” The film’s massive hype translated to an opening of ₹121 crore.
KGF: Chapter 2, driven by Yash’s superstardom, lived up to the anticipation and opened with ₹116 crore.
More recently, Nag Ashwin’s sci-fi epic Kalki 2898 AD, starring Prabhas, Amitabh Bachchan, Deepika Padukone, and Kamal Haasan, earned ₹93 crore on day one.
Prabhas made multiple appearances on the list. Salaar, directed by Prashanth Neel, brought together Prabhas and Prithviraj Sukumaran and notched up ₹92 crore on its opening day.
His mythological outing Adipurush scored ₹89 crore, despite heavy criticism after release.
Earlier, Saaho, his post-Baahubali venture, managed a ₹88 crore start, despite mixed reviews.
Adding to the tally, Pawan Kalyan’s They Call Him OG earned ₹20.25 crore nett from paid premieres in India on September 24, followed by an estimated ₹70 crore nett on day one, taking its domestic total to ₹90.25 crore nett. Including international collections, OG comfortably crossed the ₹100 crore global mark within a day of release.
Finally, Jr NTR’s Devara, directed by Koratala Siva and marking Janhvi Kapoor’s Telugu debut, rounded out the top tier with an impressive first-day estimated ₹77 crore. The film, also starring Saif Ali Khan as the antagonist, showcased NTR in his first solo outing in years.
With these films, the top 10 openers in Indian cinema are now dominated entirely by South Indian blockbusters, proving once again the region’s unmatched power at the box office.
