May 20, 2026 5:35pm IST
‘Dragon’ In Spotlight as Jr NTR Celebrates His 43rd Birthday Today
As Telugu superstar Jr NTR turns a year older today, fans are going all out to celebrate the star’s 43rd birthday. It’s a dual celebration, with the hype around his upcoming film, “Dragon.” The action drama, directed by Prashanth Neel of “KGF” and “Salaar” fame, is scheduled to release on June 11, 2027.
This high-budget (reportedly ₹500 crore) actioner has been bankrolled by Mythri Movie Makers and NTR Arts. Currently under production, the movie boasts a stellar cast. Mainlined by Jr NTR, who plays Luger, an assassin, it also features Anil Kapoor as Raghuveer Ratho — chief of India’s Narcotics Bureau — and Rukmini Vasanth as the female lead.
Box office expectations
Jr NTR, being one of the top five contemporary Telugu stars, a lot rides on this film in terms of box office results. Industry expert Shreedhar Pillai says, “I expect it will do a lot better than his previous film, ‘Devara.’ I think ‘Dragon’ will release only in 2027, so the figures will depend on the release date and how the product comes through. He is a talented actor and a saleable star. Post ‘RRR,’ he has got a pan-India appeal. So, that ups his price and his popularity. In the two Telugu states, he's very popular.”
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Film distributor Vishek Chauhan anticipates an opening of Rs 100 to Rs 150 crore for “Dragon.” “The expectations will be huge as this is a Prashanth Neel and NTR film. Prashanth’s ‘KGF’ did Rs 400 crore in Hindi. So, ‘Dragon’ has the potential to do Rs 1000 crore. Prashant Neel has a certain visual style of filmmaking, which resonates with the audience.”
Past figures
The box office numbers of Jr NTR's last two films, “Devara” and “War 2,” released in 2024 and 2025, respectively, were nowhere close to the numbers of “RRR”. While “Devara” made approximately ₹428 crore at the box office, “War 2” earned ₹364 crore worldwide. The box office collections of both these films combined did not match “RRR,” with its estimated earnings of ₹1230 gross worldwide.
Vishek believes that many factors come into play in a big commercial film. “It boils down to timing, the genre, the commercials involved, the kind of buzz film generates and when it actually releases. So, even if this film does not do wonders at the box office, it will not impact his positioning as a top star or his market value.”
Speculative ventures
While there has been a lot of speculation about “Devara 2” in the pipeline, this project has been dropped. While there is a strong chatter that Junior NTR is in discussions with Nelson Dilipkumar and Trivikram Srinivas for fresh projects, nothing has been confirmed as yet.
Market value and fees
Jr NTR commands a flat fee of anywhere between ₹50 and ₹80 crore per film. However, Vishek points out, “I don't think in a film like this (‘Dragon’), he will opt for a remuneration model. He will probably go for a profit-sharing basis.”
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