Prabhas has officially made his comeback with Kalki 2898 AD, which has now grossed ₹1000 crore worldwide, making it his second film to achieve this milestone after Baahubali 2 in 2017.
Even with competition from Indian 2 in the South and Sarfira in the North, Kalki 2898 AD continues to dominate the box office as it enters its third week. On day 16, the sci-fi mythological epic earned ₹5.2 crore in India, according to industry tracker Sacnilk. This brings the film’s total domestic collection to ₹548 crore. By Saturday, it is expected to cross the ₹550 crore mark, and by Sunday, it should surpass Animal’s lifetime domestic collection of ₹553 crore.
Starring Prabhas, Kalki 2898 AD has proven to be both a critical and commercial success after a series of big-budget flops post-Baahubali 2. Prabhas had only one hit – Salaar: Part 1 – Ceasefire – in recent years. A lot was riding on Kalki 2898 AD, touted as India’s most expensive film ever, with a budget of around ₹600 crore. Directed by Nag Ashwin, the film has been especially popular in the Telugu-speaking states, Prabhas’ home territory, and surprisingly successful in the Hindi belt as well.
As of day 16, the Telugu version of Kalki has made ₹255 crore, while the Hindi version has earned ₹236 crore. On day 16 alone, the Telugu version earned ₹1.4 crore, and the Hindi version earned ₹3.8 crore. The Telugu version faced competition from Kamal Haasan’s Indian 2, which made ₹26 crore on its opening day, with ₹7.9 crore from its Telugu version.
On its third Friday, Kalki 2898 AD crossed the ₹1000 crore mark globally, according to trade analyst Ramesh Bala. Last year, only two Indian films – Jawan and Pathaan, both starring Shah Rukh Khan – achieved this milestone.
Kalki 2898 AD also stars Amitabh Bachchan, Deepika Padukone, and Kamal Haasan. The film is expected to start a franchise, with a sequel already in development. Director Nag Ashwin has revealed that around 20 days of filming for the sequel have already been completed, though the release date is not yet announced.