September 26, 2025: “They Call Him OG,” a mafia drama featuring Telugu superstar Pawan Kalyan and Emraan Hashmi, has had a huge beginning at the global box office. The movie came out on September 25 and made a huge ₹90.25 crore on its first day in India. This was made up of a ₹70 crore net collection and excellent pre-sale numbers of ₹20.25 crore.
They Call Him OG is now the largest Indian opener of 2025, with worldwide earnings reportedly reaching a stunning ₹150 crore.
Dominance Across Languages and Continents
The film did well because it got a lot of support from Telugu-speaking areas. Trade tracker Sacnilk says that the Telugu version had a huge 69.35 percent occupancy on Thursday, and it peaked at 77.51 percent during night shows. Other versions also helped: Tamil made up 18.36 percent, Hindi made up 10.37 percent, and Kannada made up 9.19 percent.
The movie did well in the overseas market as well, especially in North America, where it became the highest-grossing Telugu film of 2025 based on its first shows alone. It had the fourth-best Telugu premiere day ever in the US, beating out significant movies like Jr NTR’s Devara: Part 1 and Prabhas’ Salaar: Part 1.
Pawan Kalyan’s triumphant return
The huge triumph is a big comeback for Pawan Kalyan, whose last movie, Hari Hara Veera Mallu, didn’t do so well earlier this year. They Call Him OG’s opening collections have well eclipsed the debuts of recent hits like Chhaava, Saiyaara, and even big-budget movies like Rajinikanth’s Coolie and Mohanlal’s L2: Empuraan.
The film has the fifth-highest advance booking figure in the history of Indian cinema, with ₹20.25 crore booked before it was even released. This was due to an aggressive marketing campaign that created unparalleled buzz before the film’s release.
The Tale of OG