Bengaluru: The last film of Kannada power star Puneeth Rajkumar‘s James was released worldwide in cinema houses yesterday (March 17) on his birth anniversary. The film, which got an overwhelming response from Appu’s fans and audience, was opened to jam-packed theatres. On the first day, all the tickets were sold out,

According to trade reports, James had a spectacular opening and is expected to have made Rs 15 to 18 crore at the box office worldwide, with some reports claiming that the film earned Rs 25 crore on the first day.

Kannada Box Office wrote that "James will set a new box office record in terms of shows and collections. It has the potential to make 100 cr at the box office easily. "

Kannada Trends wrote that "James is expected to take a good opening at the box office and it may earn 25.00 Cr India gross on its first day. James Advance Booking Kannada: 5.30 Cr Gross. Telugu: 13L."

In Karnataka, James released on over 2,500 screens. Even before the film's release, most shows' tickets were sold out. According to a report, James was released in 35 states and 74 cities in the US.

When Puneeth Rajkumar passed away, he had completed his shooting, but the dubbing of the movie had not yet begun. His elder brother, Shivarajkujmar, did the dubbing part of the Appu. It remains to be seen whether his voice would suit Puneeth and how fans and the audience react to the dubbing, said one of the actors.

The film is directed by Chethan Kumar, Priya Anand is in the female lead. Sarath Kumar,  Anu Prabhakar Mukherjee, Srikanth Meka are also acted in the film.

In some parts of North Karnataka such as Ballari and Hospete first show started at 4 am and the last show was at 12 am.