Historical epic registers massive Day 1 collections despite mixed reviews; Telugu belt drives strong start.
New Delhi, July 25, 2025
Pawan Kalyan’s historical action drama Hari Hara Veera Mallu – Part 1: Sword vs Spirit has opened at the theatres with a whopping ₹ 44.2 crore worldwide including ₹12.7 crore from paid premieres. The film’s long production period and heavy promotional material have translated into strong box office openings especially in the Telugu-speaking states.
The trade numbers suggest a total nationwide occupancy rate of 57.39%. Hyderabad had a showcase occupancy of 66.75% and Vijayawada had a near-full occupancy of 77%.
Besides the Telugu version of the movie, the performance of the Hindi version (12.43%), Kannada (9.96%) and Tamil (8.24%) versions is not as strong as Telugu indicating that the film is regional in pulling audience numbers.
Reactions from critics have been mixed. Pawan Kalyan’s star power and the film’s grandiosity shone bright while reviews pointed to inconsistent pacing and flaws in the CGI work. ETimes gave the film 2.5/5 stars and called it “an ambitious spectacle that only sporadically pays off.”
Directed by Krish Jagarlamudi and featuring Nidhhi Agerwal, Bobby Deol and Nora Fatehi in key roles, the film is three hours long, and the duration combined with the divisive reception could hinder future prospects, but analysts speculate that a strong weekend is likely.
Hari Hara Veera Mallu marks Pawan Kalyan’s return to media since Bro, and trade circles will be closely observing whether it will have legs post its strong opening.
