'Pushpa 2' creates history, earns Rs 294 cr worldwide on opening day

'Pushpa fire nahi, wildfire hai', the popular dialogue from Allu Arjun's "Pushpa" franchise has come true with the historic box office performance of the second part, which has amassed Rs 294 crore gross globally on day one of its release.

The day one collection of the Sukumar-directed movie, a sequel to 2021's Telugu blockbuster "Pushpa: The Rise", has shattered the record for the highest opening in the history of Indian cinema, which earlier belonged to SS Rajamouli's "RRR" (Rs 223.5 crore), followed by "Baahubali 2" (Rs 217 crore) and "Kalki 2898 AD" (Rs 175 crore).

The film's collection has beaten expectations of the trade pundits, who had pegged the film's opening figure to be slightly over than Rs 150 crore.

Production banner Mythri Movie Makers, which has bankrolled "Pushpa 2", shared the box office figures.

"The Biggest Indian Film creates History at the box office. #Pushpa2TheRule grosses 294 crores worldwide on Day 1 making it the highest opening day in Indian Cinema," studio posted on Instagram.

In the sequel, Arjun returns as labourer-turned-sandalwood smuggler Pushpa Raj, alongside Rashmika Mandanna as Srivalli and Fahadh Faasil as SP Bhanwar Singh Shekhawat.

The movie released across the globe on Friday with dubbed versions in Hindi, Tamil, Kannada, Bengali, and Malayalam.

The original film, directed by Sukumar and produced by Mythri Movie Makers, was not only a commercial success, amassing over Rs 300 crores in India, but also established a strong fan base beyond the traditional Telugu base and it has only grown since then.

The Hindi version of "Pushpa 2", whose trailer was launched by Arjun and Mandanna in Patna last month, also smashed records as it earned Rs 72 crore net on day one.

"HISTORY MADE in INDIAN CINEMA. #Pushpa2TheRule is HIGHEST DAY 1 OPENING HINDI FILM EVER with a Nett of 72 CRORES," Mythri Movie Makers posted.

The film has surpassed the opening day figure of Shah Rukh Khan's 2023 hit "Jawan", whose Hindi version had earned around Rs 65 on day one.