This latest movie review covers three films that could not be more different from each other — a Telugu horror comedy that became Prabhas’s worst box office performer in years, a British period drama about Shakespeare’s wife that won the Golden Globe for Best Picture Drama and received eight Academy Award nominations, and a Disney animated sequel that earned $1.86 billion worldwide to become the second-highest-grossing animated film in cinema history.
The original version of this article gave The Raja Saab a 7.5/10 and called it “entertaining” without mentioning the actual critical consensus (2 out of 5 from The Indian Express, NDTV, and Deccan Chronicle). It described Hamnet as directed by “Chloé Zhao” but never mentioned that it is Certified Fresh on Rotten Tomatoes at 86%, that Jessie Buckley won the Golden Globe for Best Actress, or that the film was nominated for Best Picture at the Oscars. It described Zootopia 2 as being popular due to “nostalgia” — without mentioning it became the second-highest-grossing animated film ever made.
This latest movie review corrects all of that. Every rating, every box office figure, every critic quote, and every cast detail below is verified against named primary sources.
Quick Comparison: The Three Films at a Glance
| Film | Language | Genre | Rotten Tomatoes | Box Office | Where to Watch (India) |
| The Raja Saab | Telugu / Hindi / Tamil / Kannada / Malayalam | Horror Comedy | 2/5 (critics) | ₹184 cr worldwide — box office loss | JioHotstar (from Feb 6, 2026) |
| Hamnet | English | Period Drama | 86% critics / 93% audience | $70 million worldwide | Theatrical (limited India release) |
| Zootopia 2 | English (Hindi / Tamil dub available) | Animated Comedy | 91% critics | $1.86 billion worldwide | JioHotstar / Disney+ Hotstar |
Latest Movie Review #1: The Raja Saab (2026)
Director: Maruthi Dasari
Cast: Prabhas, Sanjay Dutt, Malavika Mohanan (Telugu film debut), Nidhhi Agerwal, Riddhi Kumar, Zarina Wahab, Boman Irani
Music: Thaman S | Cinematography: Karthik Palani | Editing: Kotagiri Venkateswara Rao
Produced by: People Media Factory and IVY Entertainment
Language: Telugu (also dubbed in Hindi, Tamil, Kannada, Malayalam)
Runtime: 183 minutes
Theatrical Release: January 9, 2026 (Sankranti)
OTT Release: JioHotstar from February 6, 2026
OTT Rights Value: ₹160 crore (acquired by JioHotstar)
The Story
Raju (Prabhas) is a carefree man living his life without much direction, until he inherits an ancestral property from his grandfather. When he arrives to claim it, he discovers it is a sprawling old cinema theatre-turned-mansion — and his grandfather is not the warm figure he expected, but a sinister supernatural entity who lured him there deliberately.
Raju must now confront the ghost of his grandfather (also played by Prabhas, in a dual role), supernatural forces embedded in the building’s history, multiple romantic sub-plots involving three women of varying relevance to the story, and a screenplay that critics described as one of the most structurally fragmented of the year.
The film is Prabhas’s attempt to return to the mass-comedy zone he inhabited before Baahubali — lighter, goofier, less physically intense. Director Maruthi, who specialises in Telugu commercial entertainers, is the match made for that ambition. The results, as we shall see, divided those who came for Prabhas and everyone else very cleanly.
The Full Cast — Corrected
The original article described the film as having “Nayanthara” in the cast — she is not in the film. The female leads are Malavika Mohanan (making her Telugu debut), Nidhhi Agerwal, and Riddhi Kumar. Sanjay Dutt appears as the main antagonist. Zarina Wahab appears in a supporting role that critics singled out as one of the few highlights. Boman Irani is also part of the supporting ensemble.
What Critics Actually Said — The Honest Version
Every major Indian film publication gave The Raja Saab between 1.5 and 2 stars out of 5. This is not a matter of opinion — it is the documented critical consensus:
The Indian Express (Swaroop Kodur, 2/5): The film “cruelly does little to nothing with its solid central idea, and instead remains sloppy and outdated from start to finish.”
Deccan Chronicle (BVS Prakash, 2/5): A “missed opportunity weighed down by a thin plot, stale humour, and uneven execution.”
NDTV (Saibal Chatterjee, 2/5): “A royal mess.” Described as suitable only for Prabhas fans.
The Statesman (Mitali Gautam, 2/5): “The film struggles in storytelling. Scenes often jump abruptly. Characters are introduced hastily without proper narrative flow.”
India Today (Janani K, 1.5/5): Described the screenplay as “muddled” and noted that “despite Prabhas’s sporadic comic timing, the film lacks depth, cohesion and basic storytelling craft.”
The Hans India (Suhas Sistu, 1.5/5): “A forgettable outing that highlights how star power alone cannot compensate for weak writing and unclear vision.”
IMDB user score: 3.4/10.
The one consistent positive across reviews is Zarina Wahab, whose supporting performance was deemed the cast’s brightest spot. Prabhas himself received sympathy — reviewers consistently noted he was trying his best with material that did not support him.
The Box Office — The Honest Numbers
The Raja Saab opened to ₹90 crore worldwide on its first day — Prabhas’s sixth film to cross ₹100 crore globally within two days. That sounded like good news until the audience response hit.
Day 4 (the first Monday test): the film fell 75% from its Sunday figure. By the end of its first week, it was clear the film had failed to connect beyond the immediate Prabhas fanbase.
Final worldwide gross: ₹184 crore. Against a reported production budget of ₹300–400 crore, the film needed to cross ₹400 crore worldwide just to break even. IMDb Box Office described it as ending with a “63% deficit.” PinkVilla called it Prabhas’s second-worst performing film since the COVID-19 pandemic, only ahead of Radhe Shyam.
The OTT pivot told the real story of the film’s commercial trajectory: JioHotstar paid ₹160 crore for the digital streaming rights — a significant number that offered partial relief for the producers, and also explained why the platform broke its own “Remind Me” click records when the film’s OTT premiere date was announced.
Our Verdict
Rating: 5.5/10
The Raja Saab is genuinely watchable for Prabhas fans — he carries the film on sheer presence, and Thaman S’s background score is the production’s strongest technical element. The concept had real potential: a horror comedy built around a cinema theatre, a dual role exploring the grandfather-grandson dynamic, and a Maruthi direction that understands the Telugu mass-audience register.
But the screenplay is the film’s fundamental failure. At 183 minutes, The Raja Saab has a half-hour of story padded with scenes that serve no narrative purpose, romantic tracks introduced and abandoned, and a supernatural mythology that is both overexplained and unconvincing. This is a film for dedicated Prabhas fans, a weekend rewatch on JioHotstar when you want something easy and familiar, or for audiences curious about why the post-Kalki Prabhas era has been commercially troubled.
Watch if: You enjoy Telugu mass entertainers and can tolerate structural incoherence for the sake of star charisma.
Skip if: You want a horror film with actual scares, a comedy with consistent jokes, or a romance with meaningful character work.
Latest Movie Review #2: Hamnet (2025)
Director: Chloé Zhao (Nomadland, The Rider, Eternals)
Screenplay: Chloé Zhao and Maggie O’Farrell, adapted from O’Farrell’s 2020 novel
Cast: Jessie Buckley (Agnes), Paul Mescal (Will / Shakespeare), Emily Watson, Joe Alwyn, Jacobi Jupe (Hamnet), Noah Jupe
Executive Producers: Steven Spielberg, Sam Mendes
Cinematography: Łukasz Żal (Cold War, Ida)
Composer: Max Richter
Sound Design: Johnnie Burn (Oscar winner for The Zone of Interest)
Distributed by: Focus Features (USA) / Universal Pictures (UK)
Runtime: 140 minutes
Release: Limited US from November 26, 2025; Wide US from December 5, 2025; UK from January 9, 2026
India: Limited theatrical release ongoing; available via select premium platforms
What This Film Is Actually About
Hamnet is not primarily about Shakespeare. It is about his wife — identified as Agnes in the film, rather than the historical Anne Hathaway — and about what happens to a woman when she loses a child to the plague in 16th-century England, while her husband processes his grief by writing one of the most important plays in human history.
The film spans from the courtship of the young Will (Mescal) and Agnes (Buckley) — meeting when he is a Latin tutor to her younger brothers, drawn to her immediately in the fields outside Stratford-upon-Avon — through the births of their three children, the growing distance created by Will’s ambition and trips to London, the devastating death of their eleven-year-old son Hamnet from bubonic plague, and the eventual moment when Agnes attends the Globe Theatre in London to watch a grieving father’s incomprehension and love finally rendered as art.
The Chloé Zhao approach to the material — natural light, pastoral landscapes shot by Cold War cinematographer Łukasz Żal, Max Richter’s score, Johnnie Burn’s sound design, long silences — turns 16th-century England into something simultaneously period and primal. This is not a costume drama in the conventional sense. It feels like it was filmed outside.
The Performances — What Actually Happened at the Awards
Jessie Buckley won the Golden Globe for Best Actress in a Motion Picture Drama at the 83rd Golden Globe Awards, January 2026. Rolling Stone’s David Fear wrote that people “will be talking about Jessie Buckley’s performance for years.” Peter Debruge of Variety called her work “heroic.” Bilge Ebiri of Vulture called Hamnet “devastating, maybe the most emotionally shattering movie I’ve seen in years.” The BBC’s film critics named it the best film of 2025.
Paul Mescal plays Will with a deliberate restraint — he steps back while Buckley leads. This is a considered artistic choice, not a limitation. The film is about Agnes, not Shakespeare. Mescal’s awards recognition was muted relative to Buckley’s — which is appropriate, and which the film is designed to produce.
Jacobi Jupe as the young Hamnet received specific mention from multiple critics for the child performance — described by IMDB users as “some of the best child acting I’ve ever seen.”
Awards and Accolades — Verified
- Golden Globe: Best Motion Picture — Drama (won); Best Actress — Drama for Jessie Buckley (won)
- Academy Awards: 8 nominations including Best Picture, Best Director (Chloé Zhao), Best Actress (Jessie Buckley), Best Adapted Screenplay, Best Cinematography
- BAFTA: Best Film (nominated); Best Actress (Buckley)
- Telluride Film Festival: World premiere, August 29, 2025 — standing ovation
- Rotten Tomatoes: 86% critics (Certified Fresh) / 93% audience
- Metacritic: 84/100 — “Universal Acclaim”
The Box Office Context
Hamnet is not a blockbuster and was never intended to be. Produced on a reported budget of $35 million, it had earned approximately $70 million worldwide as of early March 2026, and is expected to continue performing in markets yet to receive its wide release. For a prestige period drama adapted from a literary novel, this is a genuinely strong result.
Our Verdict
Rating: 9/10
This is the best film reviewed in this latest movie review by a significant margin, and one of the finest films of 2025 by any measure. Chloé Zhao working at the intersection of nature cinema and grief drama, with Łukasz Żal’s light, Max Richter’s score, and Jessie Buckley performing at a level that most actors reach once in a career — this is the rare prestige film that earns every word of its praise.
Watch if: You can access it. It is not widely available in India on mainstream OTT platforms yet — check for theatrical screenings at premium multiplexes or niche platform availability. It will likely arrive on a major Indian streaming platform later in 2026. When it does, it should be your first choice for a serious Saturday evening watch.
Skip if: You need immediate gratification, action, or plot momentum in the first thirty minutes. This film asks for patience in exchange for something genuinely devastating.
Who it’s for: Anyone who loved Nomadland, Normal People (Mescal’s breakout), Never Let Me Go, or Aftersun. Parents of young children who want to see grief explored with radical honesty. Anyone interested in the relationship between personal tragedy and artistic creation.
Latest Movie Review #3: Zootopia 2 (2025)
Directors: Jared Bush and Byron Howard (Zootopia, Tangled)
Writer: Jared Bush
Voice Cast: Ginnifer Goodwin (Judy Hopps), Jason Bateman (Nick Wilde), Ke Huy Quan (Gary De’Snake / the villain), Shakira (Gazelle), Idris Elba (Chief Bogo), Andy Samberg, Quinta Brunson, Fortune Feimster, David Strathairn, Patrick Warburton, Danny Trejo, Alan Tudyk, Bonnie Hunt, Jenny Slate
Music: Michael Giacchino | Studio: Walt Disney Animation Studios
Language: English (Hindi, Tamil dubbed versions available on JioHotstar)
Runtime: 108 minutes
Theatrical Release: November 26, 2025 (USA) — Thanksgiving weekend
India OTT: JioHotstar / Disney+ Hotstar (streaming)
The Story — Fully Corrected
The original article described Zootopia 2 as having a story about “identity, change, and cooperation” — which is thematically accurate but misses the actual plot completely.
Zootopia 2 is set one week after the events of the first film. Judy Hopps and Nick Wilde have just officially become partners at the Zootopia Police Department — their clashing personalities are already creating friction, and Chief Bogo (Idris Elba) threatens to split them up if they cannot function together.
During a smuggling raid, Judy finds shed snake skin — alarming because snakes have not been seen in Zootopia for years. The trail leads them to Gary De’Snake (Ke Huy Quan) — a pit viper who has arrived in the city and is turning the mammal metropolis upside down. To crack the case, Judy and Nick must go undercover into new, unexplored districts of the city — introducing viewers to parts of Zootopia unseen in the original film.
Ke Huy Quan — the Oscar-winning actor from Everything Everywhere All at Once — plays the villain. His casting was described by critics as inspired: he brings emotional sensitivity to a character deliberately designed to subvert the snake-as-villain stereotype.
The Full Cast Addition
The original article omitted most of the actual cast beyond the two leads. Notable new additions include: Andy Samberg and Quinta Brunson in undisclosed roles, Fortune Feimster as a beaver named Nibbles, David Strathairn and Patrick Warburton in supporting roles, and Jean Reno — announced at the Annecy Animation Festival. Shakira returns as Gazelle with a new original song.
The film includes a touching tribute to Tommy Lister Jr. (who voiced Finnick in the original and died in 2020) — Disney received permission from his family to use unused recordings from the first film.
What Critics Actually Said
Rotten Tomatoes: 91% critics / 89% audience (not “massive family audience reach” as the original put it).
Peter Debruge, Variety: “Cleverly layering a thoughtful message onto another crackerjack caper while solidifying Judy Hopps and Nick Wilde as one of the most endearing buddy pairings in ages, Zootopia 2 more than justifies a return trip.”
Kate Erbland, IndieWire: “It’s also got the kind of heart that has too long seemed to be missing from other Disney animated offerings. There’s a weight to the messaging of the film. There’s real care behind the bond between Nick and Judy.”
Frank Scheck, Hollywood Reporter: “Zootopia 2 features one hysterical gag after another beautifully orchestrated by co-directors Jared Bush and Byron Howard.”
The critics’ consensus on RT: “Cleverly layering a thoughtful message onto another crackerjack caper while solidifying Judy Hopps and Nick Wilde as one of the most endearing buddy pairings in ages, Zootopia 2 more than justifies a return trip to the big city.”
The more critical strand of reviews — roughly 9% of critics and the lower end of audience scores — focused on predictability, a villain reveal that is telegraphed early, and a formula that plays it safe relative to the original’s more daring social commentary. These are legitimate concerns that deserve mention in any honest latest movie review.
The Box Office — The Full Picture
Zootopia 2 had the second-biggest Thanksgiving opening in cinema history — $156 million over the five-day Thanksgiving weekend in the USA. Its opening weekend in China set a new record for a Hollywood animated film — over $271 million in China alone.
As of March 3, 2026: $1.86 billion worldwide — making it: – The second-highest-grossing animated film ever made, behind only Ne Zha 2 ($1.9 billion) – The ninth-highest-grossing film of all time – The second-highest-grossing film of 2025 (behind Ne Zha 2) – The highest-grossing American-produced animated film of all time
In India: Zootopia 2 grossed ₹28 crore in its first six weeks — a modest but steady number for an animated English-language film in the Indian market, consistent with the first film’s Indian performance.
Our Verdict
Rating: 8/10
Zootopia 2 is exactly what it needed to be: a worthy, funny, emotionally grounded sequel to one of Disney’s best films of the 2010s. Ke Huy Quan’s casting as the villain is the single most effective creative decision in the film — his presence gives Gary De’Snake a moral complexity that elevates the entire third act. Michael Giacchino’s score adds propulsive energy throughout. The expanded geography of Zootopia — new districts, new animal species, new economic dynamics — makes the world feel genuinely larger rather than just differently lit.
The original Zootopia’s commentary on systemic prejudice was unusually sharp for a Disney film — it arrived at a specific cultural moment and said something genuinely challenging. Zootopia 2’s social commentary on gentrification and in-group/out-group prejudice is thoughtful but less surprising. Whether that constitutes a limitation or simply a different film depends entirely on what you bring to the cinema. As family entertainment, this is the best animated sequel Disney has produced in the current era.
Watch if: You are watching with children, you loved the original, or you want to understand what $1.86 billion in ticket sales looks like when it is genuinely earned.
Skip if: You found the original’s social commentary heavy-handed and want something more narratively experimental.
Final Comparison: Which One Should You Watch First?
This latest movie review covered three films in three languages, three genres, and three very different critical positions. The honest recommendation:
If you have access to Hamnet — whether in theatres or on a streaming platform — watch it immediately. It is the rarest kind of film: one where every craft element (cinematography, sound, score, performance, screenplay) is operating at its absolute peak simultaneously. Jessie Buckley’s performance is an event.
If you want to watch with family this weekend, Zootopia 2 is available on JioHotstar/Disney+ Hotstar and is 108 minutes of beautifully made, emotionally genuine animated entertainment. The $1.86 billion box office was not an accident.
If you are a Prabhas fan and want to understand the Raja Saab situation before JioHotstar is your main weekend option, go in knowing what you are getting: a film with an elegant central idea that collapsed under a weak screenplay, still watchable for its star’s effort and Thaman S’s score. The 7.5/10 the original article gave it was generous beyond what the evidence supports.
Frequently Asked Questions
Is The Raja Saab worth watching on JioHotstar? For Prabhas fans: yes, as a casual home watch. The film is available on JioHotstar from February 6, 2026, in Telugu, Tamil, Kannada, and Malayalam with a Hindi dub. Critics gave it 1.5–2 out of 5, with near-universal criticism of the screenplay’s lack of coherence. Audiences gave it 3.4 on IMDB. If you go in expecting a loose, star-driven mass entertainer rather than a tightly plotted horror comedy, the experience is more manageable.
Why did The Raja Saab fail at the box office? The Raja Saab grossed ₹184 crore worldwide against a reported budget of ₹300–400 crore, ending with a 63% deficit according to IMDB. The collapse happened after opening weekend — the film fell 75% on its first Monday as word-of-mouth turned negative. Critics had been uniformly harsh (2/5 from every major Indian publication), and audience reaction in Telugu-speaking states turned quickly. It became Prabhas’s second-worst-performing film since Radhe Shyam.
What is Hamnet about? Hamnet (2025), directed by Chloé Zhao, is a fictionalized account of the family life of William Shakespeare — particularly focusing on his wife Agnes (Jessie Buckley) as she copes with the death of their 11-year-old son Hamnet from bubonic plague in the late 16th century. Paul Mescal plays the young Shakespeare. The film explores how personal grief becomes the origin of Hamlet. It won the Golden Globe for Best Picture Drama and Best Actress for Buckley, and received 8 Oscar nominations.
Where can I watch Hamnet in India? As of March 2026, Hamnet has had a limited theatrical release in India. It is not yet widely available on major Indian OTT platforms. Check your local premium multiplex for available screenings. The film will likely arrive on an Indian streaming platform in mid-to-late 2026 — it has already been released in the USA via Focus Features and in the UK via Universal Pictures.
How much did Zootopia 2 make worldwide? As of March 3, 2026, Zootopia 2 has grossed $1.86 billion worldwide — the second-highest-grossing animated film ever made, behind only Ne Zha 2 ($1.9 billion). Its opening weekend in China set a record for the highest single-day Hollywood animated film gross. It is the ninth-highest-grossing film of all time and the highest-grossing American-produced animated film in history.
Where can I watch Zootopia 2 in India? Zootopia 2 is available on JioHotstar / Disney+ Hotstar in India, with Hindi and Tamil dubbed versions in addition to the original English. The film runs 108 minutes and is rated PG.
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Last updated: March 5, 2026. Sources: Wikipedia (The RajaSaab, Hamnet film, Zootopia 2), Pinkvilla, Sacnilk Box Office, IMDb, Rotten Tomatoes, Collider, Screen Rant, Variety (Debruge), Vulture (Ebiri), Rolling Stone (Fear), Roger Ebert (RogerEbert.com), IndieWire, Hollywood Reporter, Koimoi, Filmibeat, The Week India, NDTV, The Indian Express, Deccan Chronicle, India Today, Box Office Mojo, Letterboxd. All box office figures, Rotten Tomatoes scores, cast lists, and release dates verified against named primary sources.
Popcorn in hand and a opinion ready — Emily covers movie reviews, box office buzz, and all things cinema at Popcorn Review.
