Critical response The film received mixed negative reviews from critics. Neeshita Nyayapati, from
Times of India rated the film 2.5/5 and wrote 'Walking away from the film, the only memories that one takes back happy is the vision of Nani dancing to ‘Dhaari Choodu’ with childish abandon, the humorous scenes that elevate the first half and the fact that his friend spells Riya's name as Royya. For a film that touches the subject of human trafficking, it sure bombs at making a point.' Sangeetha Devi Dundoo from
The Hindu, while praising the acting performance of Nani as Krishna and the picturization of Dhaari Choodu song, also wrote, 'on the whole, Krishnarjuna Yuddham doesn't get its rhythm right. There was a time, not long ago, when Nani's name was associated with films that stood out from the clutter. This one had the potential to be a fusion of global and local music, the way Arjun wanted it to be, but ends up a mess'. Hemanth Kumar from Firstpost rated the film 2/5 and wrote, 'there's a notion that the film has all the necessary elements - vastly different characters, a conflict, an issue it tries to address - to make for an engaging drama, but on the other side, there's the image of me sitting in the cinema hall not knowing what to make of the film because it struggles to find its rhythm and doesn't build the drama efficiently'
Box office The film collected $162K from its US premiers. On opening day, the film collected Rs 4.58 crores in the Telugu states. This is the fourth biggest opening for Nani, falling behind ‘MCA’, ‘Ninnu Kori’ and ‘Eega’. MCA had reportedly raked in Rs 7.57 Cr on its opening day, ‘Ninnu Kori’ Rs 4.72 Cr and ‘Eega’ Rs 4.61 Cr. The film was made on a budget of 30 crores and only recovered 14.50 crores. It could not even recover 50% at the box office, labeling it as Nani's first disaster since 2014. == References ==