The Telugu cinema market in the USA was nothing like it is today 25 years ago.
It was very small with limited screens and in those days only films of Chiranjeevi and Pawan Kalyan used to release overseas.
The sudden upsurge came with Mahesh Babu’s 'Athadu' in August 2005. Bought for Rs 30 lakhs for overseas rights the film brought in more than Rs 1 crore to the buyer despite releasing on limited screens.
Whatever its fate in India, 'Athadu' was a blockbuster in the USA for those times.
Then came 'Pokiri' adding more stardom to Mahesh Babu and minting never seen before collections. Though 'Sainikudu' was a flop its openings were enormous.
Until Prabhas entered the picture it was only Mahesh Babu who solely ruled the USA box office. He was the undisputed top star for the Telugu cinema market there.
Today three top stars undeniably command the USA box office and they are Mahesh Babu, Prabhas and Allu Arjun.
Irrespective of anything else these three stars bring in huge openings create unprecedented business and stand on top.
The rest of the top heroes are yet to reach this level relying mainly on the luck factor and the film’s content.
Now 'Athadu' is all set to release again after 20 years and it remains to be seen what kind of response it will receive this time.
