# Korean Kanakaraju crosses Rs 50 crore gross worldwide

2026-08-16T08:27:30+00:00 | Entertainment | Indian Opinion Desk

Corroboration: 2 independent outlets (3 source reports)

Varun Tej's horror-comedy Korean Kanakaraju has crossed Rs 50 crore gross at the worldwide box office, according to 123telugu.com. The film, directed by Merlapaka Gandhi, has been declared a clean hit by the outlet, adding that it held well on weekdays after a strong first weekend. Koimoi.com reports a different figure, placing the India net collection at Rs 21.3 crore after nine days and the worldwide gross at Rs 30.43 crore. Koimoi.com says the film earned Rs 1.6 crore on its second Saturday, a 131 percent jump from the previous day, helped by the Independence Day holiday. However, the outlet cautions that the film, made on a reported budget of Rs 38 crore, has recovered only 56 percent of its investment and faces an uphill climb to reach the safe zone. It notes that Korean Kanakaraju lost nearly half its shows from the second Friday and may become Varun Tej's third flop in a row after Matka and Operation Valentine. 123telugu.com had earlier reported that the film sold around 56,000 tickets on BookMyShow and District on Independence Day, leading to additional shows being added. The film features Ritika Nayak as the female lead, with music by Thaman. Produced by UV Creations and First Frame Entertainments, it remains to be seen whether final figures will match the Rs 50 crore gross claim.

## Coverage

- 123telugu.com <https://www.123telugu.com/mnews/korean-kanakaraju-gets-independence-day-boost-on-day-9-hk.html>
- koimoi.com <https://www.koimoi.com/box-office/korean-kanakaraju-box-office-day-9-surges-131-on-2nd-saturday-but-remains-far-from-the-safe-zone/>
- 123telugu.com (2) <https://www.123telugu.com/mnews/varun-tejs-korean-kanakaraju-zooms-past-rs-50-crores-prp.html>

This story was synthesised by AI from the 3 sources linked above.
Updated: this story now draws on 3 sources. Last updated 2026-08-17T09:56:32+00:00.

Tags: Korean Kanakaraju, Merlapaka Gandhi, Ritika Nayak, Thaman, UV Creations, Varun Tej
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