Are Game Changer box office collections 'fraud' as RGV says? Trade insiders shocked by ‘ ₹100 crore inflation’

As Ram Gopal Varma questions Game Changer box office collections, trade insiders say the alleged inflation has hurt the entire industry.

Ram Charan's Game Changer was released in theatres on January 10 ahead of the Sankranthi holiday week. The film, which marks director Shankar's maiden foray into Telugu cinema, had a bumper opening at the box office. Just how bumper, is a matter of debate though. The film's producers claim that Ram Charan shepherded the film to the fourth-best opening in Indian cinema history. Trade sources, however, murmured that the film failed to even breach the ₹100 crore mark.

Game Changer box office collections have crossed ₹200 crore, or are yet to cross ₹150 crore, depending on who you believe.

The murmurs might have remained hushed had Ram Gopal Varma not launched a tirade against the film's box office numbers. Calling the reported figures a 'fraud', the maverick filmmaker said the alleged inflation was insulting to the industry as a whole. Trade insiders from the south agree with Varma. (

The discrepancies in Game Changer box office collections

Directed by Shankar, Game Changer stars Ram Charan, Kiara Advani, and SJ Suryah. On January 11, the official X (formerly Twitter) account of Game Changer posted the film's day 1 worldwide collections. "The king's arrival is setting the box office ablaze. #GameChanger takes a blockbuster opening at the BOX OFFICE. #BlockbusterGameChanger GROSSES 186 CRORES WORLDWIDE on Day 1," the caption read. The accompanying creative showed Ram Charan's character leaping out of a helicopter with the words " ₹186+ crore GBOC worldwide on day 1" written alongside.

However, the figures were highly disputed. On the same day, trade tracker Sacnilk reported that the film had grossed ₹80 crore worldwide on day 1, less than half of what the film's team had claimed. Given that Game, Changer earned ₹51 crore net in India on its opening day; it is highly unlikely that it could have grossed ₹186 crore worldwide. Many trade insiders confirm to HT that the general consensus is that Game Changer earned less than ₹100 crore worldwide on day 1.

Game Changer day 1 box office collection as reported by the makers (left) and Sacnilk (right).

Ram Gopal Varma's allegations

Taking to X (formerly Twitter) on Monday evening, Ram Gopal Varma wrote sarcastically, "If @ssrajamouli and @SukumarWritings sky rocketed Telugu cinema in real time collections into a fantastically stratospheric heights thereby sending legitimate shock waves into Bollywood, the people behind G C succeeded in proving that the south is much more FANTASTIC in being a FRAUD."

The filmmaker questioned the film's box office collections and added, “I truly don’t know who’s behind this highly humiliating disgracing insult of undermining the extraordinary achievements of the South thanks to Baahubali, RRR, KGF 2, Kantara, etc. All of their achievements will be now in doubt because of G C claims.” Although he absolved producer Dil Raju, RGV wondered, “I don’t know who’s behind these unbelievably naive lies.”

Trade insiders echo RGV's sentiments

Film trade analysts from Telangana and Andhra Pradesh echo Varma's sentiments. One distributor, who did not wish to be named, says, "It is a gross inflation of ₹100 crore in a day, and that is crazy. It hurts the credibility of the business." The general consensus in the trade circles is that by allegedly exaggerating the film's box office earnings by over 100%, they have called into question the collections of all south films. Ramesh Bala, a film trade analyst, says, "Everyone exaggerates box office collections to an extent. But I think these guys took it a bit too far this time. Of course, it can hurt the business as it spreads doubt about other films' claims."

Game Changer's future at the box office

After the proud proclamation about the film's ₹186 crore opening on day one, the film's official account has stayed silent about its worldwide box office collections in the subsequent days. Sacnilk reported that by day 3, the figure stood at ₹130 crore, still lower than the producers' day 1 claims. Meanwhile, Game Changer fell flat on its first Monday and, as trade sources say, 'has been in free fall' ever since. "There are little chances of recovery now, given that new films have released in Tamil and Telugu states and are doing well," says Ramesh Bala. Game Changer fell by 52% on Monday despite the Sankranti holiday. On Tuesday, its prospects are looking even bleaker. Trade sources say that it is likely that the film may close out under ₹200 crore worldwide by the end of its run, which may happen sooner than the makers would have hoped. If it fails to earn even ₹186 crore by then, that would indeed be irony writ large.