After a few years of indifferent performances at the box office, Telugu superstar Prabhas made a smashing return to form with Salaar last year before reaffirming his stardom with Kalki 2898 AD this summer. The pan-India science fiction epic has crossed Rs 1000 crore globally and continues to make money. But in a strange twist, despite Kalki’s earnings staying below Shah Rukh Khan’s Jawan in terms of worldwide gross, it has managed to beat the Atlee film in one crucial way.

We explain how! How Kalki 2898 AD beat Jawan Kalki 2898 AD, the Nag Ashwin film, has earned Rs 1041 crore in around 50 days after release, as per Sacnilk. With the per day earnings slowing and Stree 2 and Mr Bachchan now taking the bulk of screens, it is likely that the film will stop short of Rs 1050 crore. This would still make it one of the highest-grossing Indian films ever, but behind names like Dangal, Baahubali 2, RRR, KGF Chapter 2, and Jawan.

It may still cross Pathaan’s Rs 1048 crore mark but that remains to be seen. But even as Kalki is Rs 120 crore short of Jawan’s massive Rs 1160-crore global haul, there is one area where the Prabhas-starrer has pipped the Shah Rukh Khan blockbuster. That is in terms of domestic earnings.

Kalki 2898 AD has earned Rs 646 crore net in India in all languages. This includes Rs 287 crore in Telugu, Rs 293 crore in Hindi, and Rs 66 crore in the other three languages. In comparison, Jawan had earned Rs 640 crore net in India.

The bulk of its earning – Rs 582.