This week, Allu Arjun’s mega blockbuster Pushpa 2 The Rule heads to OTT. The Telugu original film, which released on December 5 and has, since, amassed a massive Rs 1,470 crore in net revenue, of which, close to Rs 100 crore came from Karnataka. While much of this came from the Telugu version, Pushpa 2 The Rule has set a new record for highest gross for a Kannada-dubbed film.

Pushpa 2 The Rule is highest grossing Kannada-dubbed film

The Sukumar directed sequel to Pushpa The Rise, Pushpa 2 The Rule was distributed by Lakshmikanth Reddy in Karnataka and while the Kannada version got a miniscule fraction of the shows allotted to the film, trade trackers have stated that it still managed to register substantial revenue.

According to Karnataka Talkies, the Kannada version of Pushpa 2 The Rise clocked in Rs 9 crore gross, making it the first-ever film to get to that figure. Pushpa 2 surpassed the previous record held by yet another Telugu film, Kalki 2898 AD, which made Rs 7 crore from the Kannada dubbed version. In third place is Prabhas’ Salaar: Ceasefire (Rs 6 crore), followed by Rajinikanth’s Jailer (Rs 5 crore), Sye Raa Narasimha Reddy (Rs 3 crore), Aadipurush (Rs 2 crore) and Rangasthala (Rs 1 crore).

List of films that opened new Club for Kannada dubbed version

25L - #Commando (Vivegam)
50L - #Rangasthala(Rangasthalam)
1CR - #Rangasthala
2CR - #SyeRaa
3CR - #SyeRaa
4 CR - #Jailer
5CR - #Jailer
6CR - #Salaar
7CR - #Kalki2898AD
8CR - #Pushpa2TheRule
9CR - #Pushpa2TheRule… pic.twitter.com/wBlzasperk

— Karnataka Talkies (@KA_Talkies) January 23, 2025

The increasing demand for Kannada dubbed versions is steadily debunking the claim by exhibitors that there are no takers. During the release of RRR, for instance, there were hardly any screens/shows allotted to the Kannada version, even though Ram Charan and Jr NTR had dubbed for their roles. Exhibitor reluctance to pick the dubbed version over the Telugu original was cited as reason.

Given that the revenue from Kannada dubbed versions still remains in the single-digit (crore) range, it may not be a financially viable option for most films to consider a dubbed release. But Pushpa 2’s performance is, no doubt, encouraging and proof that if served in their language, Kannada audiences will lap it up.

Read Also: Prior to the OTT debut of Pushpa 2, here is the total box office revenue for the Allu Arjun-led film

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