Post-pandemic box office trends have been unpredictable, even for the biggest names in Telugu cinema.
Several highly anticipated films led by top stars have failed to cross the ₹100 crore mark in the Telugu version.
A recent example is Ustaad Bhagat Singh, starring Pawan Kalyan, a major crowd-puller and long-time political figure whose films usually open strongly. Despite the hype, the film ended its run below ₹100 crore gross.
Earlier, Acharya also fell short of the milestone. The film featured megastar Chiranjeevi in the lead, along with his son Ram Charan in a key role.
Chiranjeevi is one of the most influential stars in Telugu cinema with decades of blockbuster history, yet the film’s theatrical performance remained under ₹100 crore.
Another Chiranjeevi starrer, God Father, also failed to cross the ₹100 crore mark in the Telugu market. The film showcased him as a powerful political leader navigating a tense power struggle.
Despite his massive fan base and long-standing dominance at the box office, the film finished below the benchmark.
The trend continued with Bhola Shankar, starring Chiranjeevi, and the big action spectacle War 2, featuring Hrithik Roshan alongside NTR Jr.
Both films carried huge expectations and star value but still remained under ₹100 crore in the Telugu version, resulting in significant losses.
This clearly shows that content is king. Regardless of star power, no film can sustain at the box office without strong content that genuinely connects with the audience.
