The article from 123telugu.com, published on January 18, 2026, accurately assesses the initial box office performance of Telugu films released during the Sankranthi 2026 festive season. This year, the festival, which typically concludes around mid-January, witnessed a clash of five major Telugu releases, including 'Mana Shankara Vara Prasad Garu,' 'The Raja Saab,' 'Bhartha Mahasayulaki Wignyapthi,' 'Anaganaga Oka Raju,' and 'Nari Nari Naduma Murari'. Among these, Megastar Chiranjeevi's 'Mana Shankara Vara Prasad Garu' emerged as the undisputed winner, registering a blockbuster run and reportedly breaching the ₹250 crore mark worldwide by January 18, 2026. The film capitalized on strong pre-release buzz and positive word-of-mouth, drawing high occupancy rates across theaters, particularly in the Telugu states. 'Nari Nari Naduma Murari,' starring Sharwanand, and 'Anaganaga Oka Raju,' featuring Naveen Polishetty, also performed commendably. 'Nari Nari Naduma Murari,' despite being a late entrant with an official release on January 14, 2026, garnered strong audience response due to its content. 'Anaganaga Oka Raju' received decent feedback, with the festive season contributing to respectable box office numbers. These films are expected to fetch handsome profits for their buyers. Conversely, Prabhas's highly anticipated film, 'The Raja Saab,' released on January 9, received mixed reactions and struggled to meet its high expectations. Despite collecting over $2 million in North America, the film is considered a disappointment, leading to potential losses for distributors due to its high acquisition costs. Ravi Teja's 'Bhartha Mahasayulaki Wignyapthi,' released on January 13, was the least preferred film, experiencing low footfalls and a muted response primarily due to weak content. The headline's use of "Verdict" is a common journalistic practice for early post-festival box office analyses, reflecting the initial critical and commercial reception. The article's claims are corroborated by multiple credible sources like Gulte, TrackTollywood, and TeluguCinema.com, which also reported similar trends and collection figures during the same period. The overall Sankranthi 2026 box office performance was indeed a mixed bag, with clear winners and films that underperformed.