Nagarjuna Akkineni announced his 100th film, King100, on his birthday, August 29. The film, written and directed by RA Karthik, is releasing in theatres on December 24, 2026. That has immediately created a massive box office clash with Shah Rukh Khan’s King, which is also scheduled to release on the same day.
The clash is particularly interesting because both films carry almost the same title. Shah Rukh Khan’s King is one of the most awaited Hindi films, with Siddharth Anand directing the action thriller.
While Telugu audiences are curious about Nagarjuna’s landmark 100th film, the same release date has already triggered heavy outrage from a section of Bollywood fans.
Shah Rukh Khan’s King was announced nearly two years ago, and its Christmas release was known well in advance. With Nagarjuna’s film now releasing on the same date and carrying the same title, some feel King100 should have chosen another date. Some are even calling it a desperate attempt to gain attention by directly clashing with Shah Rukh Khan.
However, the Christmas season is already packed with some of the biggest Hollywood releases, including Avengers: Doomsday, Dune 3, and Jumanji. There are also reports that Balakrishna’s NBK111 could also arrive on December 24.
In such a case, King100 could face a screen crunch in the Telugu states. The irony is that if Nagarjuna’s film struggles to get screens in Andhra Pradesh and Telangana, the same industry voices may later complain that Nagarjuna’s 100th film was pushed aside for an SRK film. That could create another unnecessary North-South debate.
We have to see if Nagarjuna sticks to that date. For now, King vs King100 is officially a clash, but whether it actually happens remains the big question.
