Kannappa outpaces F1 and Maa

The Indian box office saw an exciting three-way clash this Friday as Vishnu Manchu’s mythological actioner Kannappa, Brad Pitt’s much-anticipated Formula 1 drama F1, and Kajol’s mythological horror thriller Maa hit theatres together.

While the star power of Hollywood icon Brad Pitt and Bollywood veteran Kajol brought attention to their respective films, it’s Kannappa that has emerged as the clear front-runner over the first two days.Kannappa Takes Pole PositionDirected by Mukesh Kumar Singh, Kannappa — a mythological epic starring Vishnu Manchu and cameo apperances by Akshay Kumar, Prabhas, Mohanlal and Kajal Agarwal — has raced ahead of its competition with a solid Rs 9.35 crore on its opening Friday.

The film’s primary business came from the Telugu market (Rs 8.25 crore), while smaller contributions trickled in from Tamil, Hindi, Kannada, and Malayalam territories.The positive word-of-mouth among regional audiences and the film’s devotional-action premise seem to be working in its favour. On Saturday, the film maintained momentum with an early estimate of Rs 7 crore, taking its two-day total to Rs 16.35 crore.

Considering its genre and market positioning, these are encouraging numbers, especially against stiff competition.Brad Pitt’s F1 Sees Modest UptickDespite Brad Pitt’s global appeal, F1 managed a decent but not extraordinary start in India. The high-octane racing drama collected Rs 5.5 crore on Friday, with English formats contributing Rs 5 crore, while dubbed versions in Hindi, Tamil, and Telugu added marginally.On Saturday, the film showed an expected jump, collecting Rs 8.5 crore (early estimates), pushing its two-day total to Rs 14 crore. While these figures are respectable for an international film in India, F1 finds itself trailing behind Kannappa, particularly in South markets where the local mythological subject has a stronger connection.Kajol’s Maa Struggles to Find FootingOn the other end, Kajol’s supernatural horror Maa had a decent start, earning Rs 4.65 crore on its opening day.

The film, which marks Kajol’s return to the big screen in a horror avatar, picked up slightly on Saturday with Rs 6 crore (early estimate), taking its total to Rs 10.65 crore.Though the horror genre has seen a resurgence in recent years, Maa seems to have underperformed in comparison to expectations and faces an uphill task over the coming week.As it stands, Vishnu Manchu’s Kannappa has decisively taken the lead in this three-way box office battle. With strong regional support and positive audience feedback, it remains to be seen whether F1 can close the gap over the Sunday jump, or if Maa can recover with word-of-mouth traction. For now, Kannappa holds the advantage.