Director Maruthi’s horror comedy film, The Raja Saab, starring Prabhas, will be released in theatres on January 9, with paid premieres in the US a day before. When advance booking for the film was opened on Tuesday for limited screens, many took to the internet to complain about how the tickets were priced higher than those for James Cameron’s Avatar: Fire and Ash, which will be released on December 19.
The Raja Saab US premiere ticket pricing
The X (formerly Twitter) handle of Venky Box Office announced the ticket prices for the premieres of The Raja Saab as soon as they went live. They wrote, “XD D-Box – $38 ( ₹3417), Special Premium Formats – $35 ( ₹3147), Standard D-Box – $33 ( ₹2967), XD / Other PLF – $30 ( ₹2698), Standard – $25 ( ₹2248).”
Internet points out it’s priced higher than Avatar
Reactions to the post ranged from disbelief to annoyance. One person commented, “18$ ( ₹1618) imax for a #AvatarFireAndAsh and a maruthi film 38$ ( ₹3417).. u ask why people wont come to theatre.” Another pointed out, “#TheRajasaab least ticket price ($25- ₹2248) >>>> AVATAR-3 DOLBY VISION tck price ($20- ₹1798).”
Another person posted a screenshot of the ticket price for Avatar at a theatre near them, pointing out the same and criticising the distributor, “in my honest opinion anyone that is spending nearly two times the price to watch #TheRajaSaab than watching #AvatarFireAsh is just stupid. @PrathyangiraUS is basically calling all us Telugu movie fans street dogs who will watch anything at any price they s**t on our face with.”
An X user also questioned the pricing by posting a screenshot and writing, “Would you rather watch Avatar 3 in IMAX 3D FDFS for $20? Or Raja Saab FDFS standard screen for $25?” “Considering movie’s hype pricing should be reasonable but seeing such high rates (more than Kalki) is making confusion among many fans and trade,” wrote another.
One frustrated X user even broke down how much they could spend $38 on and wrote, “I am breaking down 38$.Avg 11 gallons of fuel in USA, one week grocery for single person, avg home insurance for person is 25$, avg health insurance for person is 50$ per month. @SKNonline you want to spend 38$ for maruthi film” Another pointed out they could recharge their mobile and broadband in that cost.
The Raja Saab is directed by Maruthi and also stars Sanjay Dutt, Nidhhi Agerwal, Malavika Mohanan, and Riddhi Kumar. The film, officially announced in January 2024, began filming in October 2022. After numerous delays, it will be released in theatres for Sankranthi on 9 January 2026.
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