Sarileru Neekevvaru 1st day box office collection: Anil's film beats Mahesh's Maharshi opening record

Anil Ravipudi's Sarileru Neekevvaru (Neekkevvaru/SLN) received a brilliant opening at the worldwide box office on Saturday. It has shattered the first-day collection record of Mahesh Babu's Maharshi.

After the release of Maharshi, several leading directors were rumoured to helm Mahesh Babu's next film. The superstar had even confirmed one of them but later went on to team up with young director Anil Ravi, who was just four-film old with only one blockbuster - F2 – Fun and Frustration - to his credit. While everyone wondered why he took this decision, the actor was very confident about the script and Anil's directorial skills.

Besides playing the lead role, Mahesh Babu has co-produced Sarileru Neekevvaru with Anil Sunkara and Dil Raju. The producers gave Anil Ravipudi 100 percent free hand in all aspects. The promos of the film, which offered a glimpse at the young director's skills, grabbed many eyeballs and generated massive hype and curiosity. This, in turn, got the movie high prices for its rights and good advance booking.

After seeing the hysteria surrounding the film, trade experts predicted that Sarileru Neekevvaru would start with a bang and smash all the records set by Mahesh Babu's previous movies. As predicted, the movie took the box office by a storm with many cinema halls registering 100 percent occupancy in the early morning shows in India Saturday and premiere shows in the USA, Australia and New Zealand on Friday.

The makers are yet to reveal its first-day collection, as its numbers are still being compiled at this moment. If we are to go by early estimates, Sarileru Neekevvaru has collected over Rs 55 crore gross at the worldwide box office on the first day. The movie has shattered the record of Maharshi, which was the biggest opener for Mahesh Babu with its collection of over Rs 50 crore gross.

Sarileru Neekevvaru has fetched Rs 103 crore for its producers from the sale of its global theatrical rights. The movie is estimated to have earned nearly Rs 40 crore for its worldwide distributors on the first day. It has recovered around 40 percent of its investments on its opening day itself.

Here are the prices of the area-wise theatrical rights and the first-day earnings of Sarileru Neekevvaru. These numbers are based on various sources and they may not match with the actual figures. All the figures are in rupees and crore.