The Paradise box office Day 1: Nani gets career-best opening; beats HIT 3, Dasara

Nani-starrer The Paradise has registered the biggest opening of the actor’s career, moving ahead of the Day 1 starts of HIT: The Third Case and Dasara. Directed by Srikanth Odela, the action drama opened strongly after building momentum through advance bookings and paid premiere shows ahead of its first regular screenings.

The film, which received an ‘A’ certificate from the Central Board of Film Certification, recorded heavy pre-release ticket sales despite its restricted audience category. Domestic bookings were led by Telangana and Andhra Pradesh, while overseas business also added to the early surge before the film’s worldwide release on September 24, 2026.

On Day 1, The Paradise collected Rs 74.90 crore worldwide gross, including Rs 54.90 crore from India and Rs 20 crore from overseas, as per trade website Sacnilk. Its India nett stood at Rs 46.25 crore across 10,632 shows. The total put it ahead of Nani’s previous biggest opener, HIT: The Third Case, which collected around Rs 38 crore worldwide on its first day, and Dasara, which earned about Rs 36.25 crore worldwide on opening day.

The India gross of Rs 54.90 crore came from paid previews and the first full day of release. On Day 0, September 23, the film earned Rs 13.95 crore through paid previews. Andhra Pradesh and Telangana contributed Rs 11 crore, followed by Karnataka at Rs 2.05 crore, Tamil Nadu at Rs 0.80 crore, Kerala at Rs 0.07 crore and the rest of India at Rs 0.03 crore.

On Day 1, September 24, the film collected Rs 40.95 crore in India gross. Andhra Pradesh and Telangana remained the biggest contributor with Rs 31.50 crore, while Karnataka added Rs 4 crore. Tamil Nadu contributed Rs 1.75 crore, Kerala Rs 0.40 crore and the rest of India Rs 3.30 crore. Overall, Andhra Pradesh and Telangana contributed Rs 42.50 crore, followed by Karnataka with Rs 6.05 crore, the rest of India with Rs 3.33 crore, Tamil Nadu with Rs 2.55 crore and Kerala with Rs 0.47 crore, taking the India total to Rs 54.90 crore.

The film opened with a limited preview run on Wednesday, September 23, 2026, generating Rs 13.95 crore gross and Rs 11.60 crore nett across 900 shows with 79.0 per cent theatre occupancy. On its official Day 1 release on Thursday, September 24, screenings expanded to 9,732 shows and brought in Rs 40.95 crore gross and Rs 34.65 crore nett at 49.3 per cent occupancy, taking the cumulative nett collection to Rs 46.25 crore.

Advance sales before release

Before the first regular morning shows on September 24, the film had already crossed the Rs 40-crore gross mark worldwide through global pre-sales and paid premiere shows scheduled for Wednesday, September 23. According to Sacnilk, Hyderabad emerged as the top domestic market, contributing more than Rs 7.40 crore in Day 1 advance sales.

Internationally, overseas distributor Prathyangira Cinemas reported more than $ 1.11 million, or about Rs 10.60 crore, in North American premiere pre-sales alone. The reported figure was more than double the premiere collections of HIT: The Third Case.

More about the film

India Today gave the film a rating of 2 stars. A part of the review read, "Nani’s performance and Anirudh’s music might offer some respite while watching The Paradise, but they cannot compensate for what feels like a lost opportunity for Srikanth Odela. He clearly wants to say a lot about oppression, identity, revenge and resistance, but in trying to cram too many ideas into one film, he loses sight of the one thing holding them all together — a coherent story."

The Paradise marks Nani’s second collaboration with Srikanth Odela after their 2023 action film Dasara. Produced by Sudhakar Cherukuri under the Sri Lakshmi Venkateswara Cinemas banner, the film features Mohanlal, Sonali Bendre and Sampath Raj in pivotal roles, with music composed by Anirudh Ravichander.