Actor Puneeth Rajkumar's latest movie Yuvarathnaa, which hit the screens on Thursday (April 1), has opened to a good response at the domestic box office despite being a non-holiday release. According to initial estimates, the film's day 1 net collection is likely to be between Rs 7 crore and Rs 10 crore.
If this is indeed the case, the biggie may outperform Appu's previous release Natasaarvabhowma, which had raked in around Rs 6 crore on the opening day.
Yuvarathnaa is the third major Kannada film to release in theatres under the 'new normal'. Pogaru opened at an impressive Rs 8.71 crore despite receiving flak for its 'sexist' storyline. The actioner subsequently remained the choice of the janta in mass centres, emerging as a commercial success.
Actor Darshan's Roberrt too made a solid impact at the box office and collected over Rs 14 crore on the first day, making full use of the Mahashivaratri holiday, It subsequently remained unstoppable, emerging as one of the biggest hits of D Boss' career. Yuvarathnaa is expected to help Sandalwood return to the 'good old days'.
The film has, meanwhile, received above-average reviews with most critics praising the 'Powerstar' for delivering a spirited performance. The word of mouth is decent, which should help it remain strong over the (extended) weekend. Yuvarathnaa is, however, likely to face some competition from Godzilla vs Kong as the Hollywood biggie is still doing well at the box office
The movie has been directed by Santhosh Anandrram, who had wielded the microphone for Appu's 2017 blockbuster Raajakumara, and revolves around a young man's fight against corrupt politicians. It stars Sayyeshaa as the leading lady and marks her Sandalwood debut.
With Yuvarathnaa in theatres, Puneeth is set to turn his attention to his upcoming movie James. The biggie is touted to be an actioner and reunites the mass hero with 'Rajkumari' Priya Anand. his leading lady in Raajakumara.