మెట్ల మార్గమధ్యంలో విశ్రాంతి తీసుకుంటున్న పవన్ కళ్యాణ్ l Deputy CM Pawan Kalyan l Tirumala

Ahead of Superstar Prabhas’ The Raja Saab, industry watchers expected the film to rewrite several box-office benchmarks, including the record-setting premiere collections of Pawan Kalyan’s #OG. However, that milestone has remained out of reach, and the reasons are largely circumstantial rather than reflective of Prabhas’ market strength.

When #OG released in September 2025, it benefitted from extraordinary pre-release momentum. Director Sujeeth’s slick and stylish trailer, coupled with a pulsating background score, generated massive buzz. Crucially, ticket price hikes were permitted in both Telugu states, enabling the film to rake in an impressive ₹20–23 crore from global premiere shows alone.

The Raja Saab, on the other hand, faced a different scenario. While anticipation around the film was strong, the urgency and frenzy to grab premiere tickets did not match the fever pitch seen during #OG. More importantly, the Telangana government did not allow ticket hikes for premiere shows. This regulatory hurdle significantly capped the film’s premiere-day earnings, preventing it from challenging #OG’s record.

With the Telangana High Court having made stern observations regarding ticket price hikes, the possibility of surpassing #OG’s premiere collections appears unlikely in the near future. Unless exceptional interventions occur—potentially for mega-budget projects helmed by filmmakers like SS Rajamouli, such as the much-discussed Vaaranaasi—the #OG premiere record is expected to stand firm.