June is typically a slow month for cinema releases, with schools and colleges reopening and audiences shifting focus away from movies.
This year was no different in terms of the number of releases, but surprisingly, it delivered better results than the summer season. In fact, the box office performed better in June than it did during peak summer.
The month began with the release of “Thug Life,” a high-profile collaboration between legendary filmmaker Mani Ratnam and actor Kamal Haasan after decades.
Expectations were sky-high, and Kamal Haasan even promoted the film personally in Hyderabad. Despite the hype, Thug Life turned out to be a disaster — not just in Telugu, but in all languages.
Audiences were disappointed with both the story and Mani Ratnam’s direction.
Made on a budget of ₹200 crore, the film failed to even gross ₹100 crore worldwide and stopped at ₹60 crore gross in India. Distributor Sudhakar Reddy reportedly suffered massive losses in Telugu states.
The first week of June was marked by this major failure. Alongside Thug Life, smaller films like Badmashulu, Sree Sree Sree Rajarav, and Gamblers also failed to make an impact.
The second week didn’t fare much better. Films like Paapa and Hunter released but barely drew attention. However, Tholi Prema, a re-release of Pawan Kalyan’s classic romantic film, performed surprisingly well, delighting his fans once again.
It was the third week that finally brought life back to the box office, thanks to Sekhar Kammula’s “Kuberaa.” The film received glowing reviews from critics and strong word-of-mouth from audiences.
It collected ₹30 crore gross on day one globally and reportedly joined the ₹100 crore club within five days. In the US, it crossed the million-dollar mark on day two itself.
While box office numbers are still being verified, it’s safe to say that Kuberaa was a rare case of a film earning universal acclaim and commercial success. However, another release that week, 8 Vasanthalu, failed at the box office.
Wrapping up the month was “Kannappa,” the mythological action film headlined and produced by Vishnu Manchu.
With star cameos from Prabhas, Akshay Kumar, Mohanlal, and Mohan Babu, the film got a strong opening, primarily due to Prabhas’ presence. Even Vishnu acknowledged this.
Despite the solid weekend run, the film saw a significant drop on Monday, raising doubts about its long-term box office prospects.
In total, June saw the release of 15 films. While most failed to click, Kuberaa emerged as a clear winner. Thug Life was the biggest flop, and Kannappa sits somewhere in the middle, with its fate hanging on the coming weekdays.
