November, usually considered an unlucky month for Tollywood, again arrived without major big-budget releases, but this time a few surprises emerged.
The month opened with Mass Jathara, which became the biggest flop of November. Despite posters claiming more than Rs 5 crore from premieres, the routine content failed to attract audiences and promotions stopped by day four.
The next week saw the arrival of The Girlfriend, which turned into the month’s biggest hit. Made on a controlled budget and boosted by Rashmika Mandanna’s appeal and strong premiere talk, it collected over Rs 25 crore worldwide in two weeks.
Releasing alongside it, Sudheer Babu’s horror film Jatadhara completely failed, while the small comedy The Great Pre-Wedding Show surprisingly clicked despite limited theatres. Other releases, including Raj Tarun’s direct-to-OTT film Chiranjiva, failed to make an impact.
Mid-month brought Kaanta, Jigrees, Gathavaibhavam and Santana Praptirastu. All four films underperformed, with Kaanta collapsing despite being promoted as an artistic attempt.
In contrast, the re-release of Nagarjuna’s classic Shiva outperformed many new films, helped by active promotions.
The following week saw 12A Railway Colony with Allari Naresh, which failed, along with Premante, which also disappeared quickly. Six other small films released but went unnoticed. Re-releases like Kodamasimham and Awara also failed to draw crowds. However, Raju Weds Rambai managed a modest youth-driven success.
The month ended with Andhra King Taluka, which earned mixed reviews but weak collections, and Keerthy Suresh’s Revolver Rita, which received very little to low attention.
To sum up, The Girlfriend stood as the month’s decent hit, Mass Jathara the biggest flop, and the success of Shiva marked November’s notable highlight.
