Rashmika Mandanna's latest film, "The Girlfriend," directed by Rahul Ravindran, has made its theatrical debut, opening on November 7, 2025. The romantic drama explores themes of love, emotional autonomy, and personal boundaries.
Early estimates for the film's first-day box office collections vary, but most reports indicate that "The Girlfriend" has earned over ₹1 crore in India. Sacnilk reported that the movie grossed ₹1.30 crore India net on its first day for all languages. However, other reports suggest a lower opening, with some estimating ₹0.63 crore or ₹0.98 crore.
The film has performed relatively better in the Telugu market, achieving an overall 16.90% occupancy on its opening day. Evening and night shows saw slight improvements with night shows at 23.55%. Hyderabad, Guntur, and Chennai recorded decent audience turnouts. In contrast, the Hindi version registered a more modest 6.89% occupancy, with slight improvements in the evening and night slots.
The film's Telugu version performed steadily across Andhra Pradesh and Telangana, with Hyderabad leading with 22.33% occupancy. Other regions, such as Vizag and Vijayawada, recorded moderate collections. The Hindi version of "The Girlfriend" had a 6.33% occupancy, with Bengaluru, Pune, and Mumbai performing relatively better than other cities.
Audience and critical reception to "The Girlfriend" have been mixed. While some have praised Rashmika Mandanna's performance, calling it one of the best of her career, others have criticized the film's pacing and storyline. An excerpt from ETimes review reads, "One poignant visual — Bhooma dropping her shawl in the climax — symbolises her transformation and emancipation from her past self". Trade analysts suggest that the emotional content and languid pacing may have kept it from appealing to the masses.
Despite the mixed reviews, "The Girlfriend" is expected to have steady growth over the weekend. Positive word-of-mouth could help the film recoup some losses. However, stiff competition from other releases and minimal family audience turnout may restrict gains. If the collections do not pick up, this could be the weakest opening for Rashmika Mandanna to date.
