Kannappa scores Vishnu Manchu's biggest box office opening, but still trails far behind Kuberaa's first weekend

Vishnu Manchu’s high-octane mythological saga Kannappa, directed by Mukesh Kumar Singh, roared into theatres this weekend and delivered the actor’s career-best opening. But even as it celebrates personal milestones, Kannappa finds itself trailing far behind its biggest box office competitor, Kuberaa, which continues its dominant streak in Indian cinemas.

According to a Sacnilk, Kannappa earned a respectable ₹22.53 crore net across India in its first three days. The film opened strong on Friday with ₹9.35 crore but saw a 23.53% dip on Saturday, bringing in ₹7.15 crore. By Sunday, collections tapered further to ₹6.03 crore, signaling a slowing momentum despite its initial hype.

The Telugu Boost, but Not Enough to Top the Charts
The film, mounted on a grand scale and featuring an ensemble cast including Mohanlal, Prabhas, Akshay Kumar, Kajal Aggarwal, and Mohan Babu, performed best in Telugu-speaking regions, though it also released in Tamil, Kannada, Malayalam, and Hindi. On Sunday, the film’s Telugu version saw a healthy 42.33% occupancy rate, while the Tamil version held a decent 24.83%.

While Kannappa is Vishnu Manchu’s most successful opening to date, the numbers tell a different story when placed alongside other recent hits. The only major competition in theatres currently is Kuberaa, which released just a week earlier and has already amassed ₹80.2 crore net in India, more than triple Kannappa’s current tally. Kuberaa had a powerful opening weekend with ₹48.6 crore in first 3 days and has maintained solid momentum.

Following the Mythological Gold Rush
Kannappa follows a trend of mythological and devotional cinema that's seeing a resurgence at the box office. Prasanth Varma’s HanuMan, released in early 2024, broke through expectations and outperformed several big-budget star-led releases. HanuMan, starring Teja Sajja, opened with ₹4.5 crore on a Thursday and had raked in ₹40.65 crore by the end of its first weekend, overtaking films like Guntur Kaaram, Saindhav, and Naa Saami Ranga.

While Vishnu Manchu has hinted at a possible prequel in collaboration with a "leading director", Kannappa’s box office prospects will depend heavily on sustained word-of-mouth and how well it can hold its ground .

The coming days will determine whether Kannappa can maintain its stride or become another promising film that failed to go the distance in an increasingly competitive mythological action-drama space. For now, while Vishnu Manchu has plenty to celebrate.