After a decent opening day, Abhishek Nama's ambitious mythological fantasy, Nagabandham, continued its theatrical run on its second day. The film, starring Virat Karrna and Nabha Natesh, collected approximately Rs 1.64 crore net across India on its first Saturday, according to early trade estimates.
This marks a marginal drop of around 5% from its Day 1 collection of Rs 3.40 crore, indicating a steady hold at the box office. The film's total India net collection now stands at Rs 5.04 crore after two days, with a gross collection of Rs 5.85 crore. The film maintained an overall occupancy of 20.4% on Day 2, with around 2,402 shows across the country.
State-wise, the film's performance remained consistent, with Andhra Pradesh and Telangana contributing Rs 2.50 crore gross, followed by Karnataka with Rs 0.40 crore and Tamil Nadu with Rs 0.15 crore. The film's total gross collection across major markets now stands at Rs 7.44 crore.
Directed by Abhishek Nama, who also penned the story and screenplay, Nagabandham is produced by Kishore Annapureddy and Nishitha Nagireddy under the banners of NIK Studios and Abhishek Pictures. The film features an ensemble cast including Virat Karrna as the lead protagonist, Nabha Natesh and Iswarya Menon as the female leads, with Jagapathi Babu, Mahesh Manjrekar, Murali Sharma, and Rishabh Sawhney playing pivotal roles. The cinematography is handled by Soundar Rajan S, with editing by RC Pranav.
The film, which blends mythology, fantasy and adventure, revolves around a sacred treasure connected to Lord Anantha Padmanabha Swamy hidden in the Himalayas. However, it received mixed to negative reviews from critics, who praised the visual spectacle but criticized the lack of substance in the storytelling. Despite the critical response, the film's pre-release business has been strong, with producers recovering 80% of the Rs 100 crore budget through satellite, digital, and audio rights.
With the opening weekend still underway, trade analysts expect the film to see a slight uptick in collections on Sunday, potentially pushing the first weekend total to around Rs 10 crore net. However, the film faces an uphill battle to recover its massive theatrical investment given the mixed word-of-mouth.