Allu Arjun and Rashmika Mandanna’s Pushpa 2: The Rule has shattered box office records since its release, collecting over ₹1719.5 crore gross worldwide, according to the film's team. The sequel to Sukumar’s 2021 blockbuster Pushpa: The Rise has become the fastest Indian film to reach this milestone in just 22 days.
However, the film's success has been overshadowed by a tragic incident at its premiere on December 4 at Sandhya Theatre in Hyderabad. The chaos at the event led to the death of a woman and left her young son hospitalized. In connection with the incident, Allu Arjun, along with the theatre management and his security, were arrested. Arjun was taken into custody on December 13 and sent to a 14-day remand, but the Hyderabad High Court granted him interim bail for four weeks.
On December 27, Arjun appeared via video conference at Nampally Court and filed a regular bail petition, which is set to be heard on December 30. Following the incident, both the police and Telangana Chief Minister Revanth Reddy have called for Arjun to take responsibility, alleging that he was aware of the fan’s death while he was still at the theatre. However, Arjun has denied these claims.
In a gesture of support, the Pushpa 2 team recently donated ₹2 crore to the victim’s family through FDC Chairman Dil Raju. Despite the controversy, the film continues its record-breaking performance at the box office.
The film’s team shared an announcement on X (formerly Twitter) stating, “There is no stopping #Pushpa2TheRule at the box office,” marking the achievement of ₹1719.5 crore worldwide in just 22 days.