'Sarileru Neekevvaru' opens on a fantastic note

The eagerly-awaited Mahesh Babu starrer Sarileru Neekevvaru, which hit screens on Saturday (January 11, 2020), has opened to a good response at the Andhra Pradesh and Telangana box office. Industry trends suggest, the opening day share will be around Rs 30 crore, which many feel is a solid figure.

If these estimates hold, the Anil Ravipudi-directed entertainer will outperform Prince's previous release Maharshi (Rs 24.16 crore) and become his best opener in the Telugu states. It will also beat Pawan Kalyan's 2018 Sankranti release Agnyaathavaasi, which had raked in around Rs 26 crore on the first day.

Sarileru Neekevvaru will, however, need phenomenal talk and good footfalls in the evening shows to match the collections of Chiranjeevi and Tamannaah's Gandhi Jayanti release Sye Raa Narasimha Reddy and set a non-Baahubali record.

Being a festival release, Sarileru Neekevvaru is likely to have a solid first weekend. However, its Sunday collections might not be as high as expected as it will most probably face stiff competition from Allu Arjun's family-entertainer Ala Vaikunthapurramloo. Either way, a lot will ultimately depend on whether Bunny is able to win back the support of 'Mega' fans, who are upset with him for ignoring Sye Raa.

Sarileru Neekevvaru features 'Super Star' in the role of an Army officer and this has piqued the curiosity big time. The cast also includes Geetha Govindam actress Rashmika Mandanna, 'Lady Amitabh' Vijayshanti and Prakash Raj.

Meanwhile, Mahesh Babu will soon be taking a break and spending time with his family. Thereafter, he is expected to begin work on SSMB 27, to be helmed by Vamsi Paidipally.