The debate around Daaku Maharaaj’s box office performance refuses to die down. Despite receiving a decent talk, the Balakrishna-Bobby combo film failed to match huge box office expectations.
The biggest hurdle? The competition from Sankranthiki Vastunnam, which dominated the festival season, drawing in both family and youth audiences. As a result, Daaku Maharaaj’s collections took a major blow.
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Fans are now blaming producer Naga Vamsi for misjudging the release timing. Many believe that if the film had released in a better slot, it could have easily crossed 200 crores.
They argue that a simultaneous Hindi and pan-India release would have given it a much-needed boost. The film was initially planned for a Dussehra 2023 release but was postponed due to Balakrishna’s political commitments. Some feel a December release would have been the better choice like Akhanda.
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Also, there is a sentiment that hardcore action films don’t work well during Sankranthi, a season dominated by family entertainers.
Fans are questioning whether Naga Vamsi has now realized this mistake. A release 2-3 weeks before or after the festival might have yielded better results.
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The film’s OTT performance is the main reason for fans behaving in this way. Streaming on Netflix, Daaku Maharaaj has become the No.1 non-English film, outperforming many Hindi films and web series.
Even in its second week, the film continues to trend. This strengthens the argument that a better theatrical release strategy could have maximized the film’s success.
That said, in reality, Daaku Maharaaj was always going to struggle, no matter when it was released. Just because the OTT audience is giving it a better response than the theatre audience doesn’t mean that Daaku Maharaaj is a masterpiece.
The film is a decent one-time watch but lacks the X-factor to make it an event film. The routine story, weak villain, flimsy second half, and underutilization of Balakrishna’s mass appeal fall on director Bobby’s shoulders.
Ironically, Naga Vamsi’s Sankranthi release strategy and hyper promotions actually helped the film’s collections, especially in the first week, making it look bigger than it actually was.
