The Telugu period action drama posts a career‑high opening despite a wave of negative reviews, with strong advance bookings and overseas pull.
Record‑breaking numbers amid shaky reception
Nani’s new period action, The Paradise, clocked in at about Rs 77 crore worldwide on its debut, according to box‑office trackers. The film pulled in Rs 46.25 crore net from the Indian market and added another Rs 22 crore from overseas territories. Paid preview shows on Wednesday night contributed Rs 11.60 crore to that tally, leaving a solid Rs 34.65 crore for the official Thursday opening.
The opening outshone his previous high‑water marks. The 2025 thriller HIT 3 opened to Rs 37.80 crore, while the 2023 collaboration Dasara managed Rs 36.25 crore worldwide. The Paradise, therefore, becomes Nani’s biggest first‑day taker by a comfortable margin.
Advance bookings and footfall frenzy
Ticket‑selling platform BookMyShow reported that the film sold 941,000 tickets before the first show, eclipsing recent pan‑Indian releases such as big deal and The Raja Saab. Advance sales alone fetched roughly Rs 40 crore, a figure that already placed the film ahead of its opening day earnings.
The Nizam region (Hyderabad and surrounding districts) emerged as the strongest domestic market, delivering more than Rs 22 crore on day one – more than double Nani’s earlier Nizam high from Dasara. Andhra Pradesh followed, though its numbers lagged behind the Nizam territory. Karnataka and North‑American territories also posted respectable figures, underscoring the film’s pan‑regional pull.
Critical backlash versus box‑office momentum
Audience and critic sentiment has been largely unforgiving. Early viewers have labeled the film as one of Nani’s weaker outings, with some even dubbing it the “worst” in his career. Despite that, the cash flow has not stalled. Trade analysts suggest the weekend could still buoy the film, especially in urban centres where star‑driven releases tend to hold better.
However, the consensus among box‑office watchers is that a steep drop is likely once the initial hype fades. The film’s hefty budget means it needs sustained footfall to stay profitable, and the negative word‑of‑mouth could erode that momentum quickly.
What lies ahead?
Day‑two projections are optimistic, with insiders pointing to strong Saturday footfall in the Nizam belt and a decent showing in the US market, where the film has already crossed the $1 million mark – a milestone Nani shares only with Mahesh Babu.
The real test will be whether the Telugu‑language version can carry the load or whether the Hindi and Tamil dubs will pick up slack. If the film’s performance steadies, it could solidify Nani’s box‑office clout despite the critical panning. If not, the opening day surge may be remembered as a flash‑in‑the‑pan.
Either way, The Paradise has already rewritten Nani’s opening‑day record books, and the next few days will determine if that record translates into a lasting box‑office run.
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