The Paradise first weekend: Nani's film posts big numbers despite weak reviews

Nani's The Paradise has wrapped up its first weekend with strong box office numbers, even though reviews from critics and audiences have leaned largely negative. Directed by Srikanth Odela, the period action drama is set in 1980s Secunderabad and released in Telugu, Hindi and Tamil.

The exact total depends on whose numbers you read. Tracker figures reportedly put the four-day worldwide gross at Rs 138.25 crore, made up of Rs 109 crore gross from India and Rs 29.25 crore from overseas markets, with the India net at Rs 92.1 crore. The makers have announced a bigger figure, a worldwide first weekend gross of Rs 155 crore.

The film reportedly opened at Rs 34.65 crore before falling by around 60% on its second day. It then held steady, with reports putting Friday at Rs 14.9 crore, Saturday at Rs 15.25 crore and Sunday at Rs 15.07 crore. By the makers' count, Sunday added Rs 19 crore worldwide and was the lowest day of the weekend. The film is also said to have crossed the $2 million mark in North America.

Either way, reports say The Paradise is now the highest grossing film of Nani's career. His previous release, HIT: The Third Case, reportedly ended its run at around Rs 120 crore worldwide. It still trails well behind Chiranjeevi's Mana Shankara Varaprasad Garu, which reportedly earned Rs 303.76 crore globally.

On its fourth day, Telugu shows reportedly ran at 45.12% occupancy overall, with Hyderabad the strongest region at 61.8% across 706 shows. Hindi occupancy was around 25.09% and Tamil around 28.35%. The film faces competition from Sidharth Malhotra's The Vvaan: Force of the Forrest, the sleeper hit Hanuman Ansh and Mirzapur: The Movie.

Nani responded to the mixed reaction on X, thanking fans for their love, saying he enjoyed the trolls and had taken lessons from the flaws critics pointed out. Raghav Juyal, Sonali Kulkarni and Kayadu Lohar also star, and reports add Mohan Babu to the cast, with Anirudh Ravichander on music and SLV Cinemas producing. The trade will now watch closely how the film holds up on weekdays.