OG Day 1 Box Office: ₹154 Cr Worldwide

Hyderabad, September 26: The frenzy around Pawan Kalyan’s new release, They Call Him OG, spilled onto the internet within hours of its opening on Friday. The producers claimed a worldwide Day 1 gross of ₹154 crore, stamping the film with a celebratory hashtag #BoxOfficeDestructorOG that has since taken over timelines across platforms.

A Big Number, And A Bigger Spin

The collection update arrived early, pushed out by the makers themselves and echoed by industry-friendly handles. On Threads, posts shouted about a “power star tsunami,” while on X (Twitter) fan accounts posted graphics boasting of a “genuine collection” touching ₹154 crore. Instagram feeds weren’t far behind, full of fiery posters declaring the film a “box office champ.”

This is familiar territory. Big Telugu releases now live and die by Day 1 hype, with numbers presented as both a badge of pride and a weapon in fan wars. As trade analysts often point out, these opening-day grosses are sometimes more promotional in intent than forensic in detail. Still, for a star like Pawan Kalyan, a triple-digit crore opening keeps him firmly in the conversation alongside the likes of Allu Arjun, Prabhas, and Jr NTR.

The Hashtag Wars

The hashtag #BoxOfficeDestructorOG was trending for most of Friday, joined by #TheyCallHimOG. Fans turned celebratory graphics into digital posters, with captions ranging from pure euphoria to pointed comparisons with rival stars.

It isn’t just online noise. In Telugu cinema, fan-driven campaigns have long shaped how films are perceived in their crucial first weekend. A blockbuster label can sometimes be decided before the Monday numbers even arrive. What happens after the dust settles, the weekday collections, the repeat audiences, is where the real verdict lies.

Sujeeth Reflects On His Style

Away from the box office noise, director Sujeeth gave a candid comment that hints at where he might be headed next. Speaking to The Times of India, he admitted he misses making lighter films and wants to bring dark humor into his upcoming work. He credited Nelson Dilipkumar’s Jailer as an inspiration, suggesting he may be looking beyond the heavy, straight-faced action template he’s known for.

That’s an interesting admission, especially given how OG has been marketed, a violent gangster drama with Pawan Kalyan as its anchor. Whether he’ll stick to that formula or risk a tonal shift in his next outing could say a lot about where Telugu commercial cinema is moving.

Why Day 1 Still Matters

For now, though, the number everyone’s repeating is ₹154 crore. In a state where film stars often command the kind of loyalty usually reserved for politicians, and in Kalyan’s case, he is both, the symbolic value of a massive opening cannot be overstated. A big Day 1 is a show of strength, a way of telling both rivals and the industry that the star’s hold is unshaken.

But here’s the truth: early gross claims don’t always align with the more sober trade tallies that come later. Distributor shares, regional splits, overseas receipts- those take a day or two to get verified. What OG needs now is strong word of mouth and steady weekday footfalls. Otherwise, like Salaar or even Kalki 2898 AD, it risks burning bright and fading fast.

Telugu Cinema’s Race For Scale

If the ₹154 crore figure holds, OG will sit comfortably among 2025’s biggest Indian openers, rubbing shoulders with Tamil and Hindi giants. It’s a sign of where Telugu cinema has reached in the national conversation, not just delivering hits for home markets but aiming for pan-India dominance.

That said, audiences today are less forgiving of hollow spectacles. Sustaining momentum means delivering beyond the hype. For Pawan Kalyan, whose political commitments often compete with his film career, the success of OG will carry both cinematic and symbolic weight.

For now, the film has what it needs: a headline number, a trending hashtag, and a sea of fans declaring victory. Whether those declarations hold past the weekend will decide if OG truly lives up to its new title, the “Box Office Destructor.”

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Ayesha Khan

Entertainment Correspondent – Ayesha@hindustanherald.in – Web

Covers films, television, streaming, and celebrity culture with a focus on storytelling trends.

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