As 2023 draws to a close, an interesting observation emerges regarding the last three films featuring Tier 2 category heroes and their box office collections in the U.S.
Vijay Deverakonda’s ‘Kushi,’ Naveen Polishetty’s ‘Miss Shetty Mr. Polishetty,’ and Nani’s ‘Hi Nanna’ coincidentally amassed $1.8 million in the U.S., but these results can be viewed from different perspectives.
Nani’s ‘Hi Nanna’ grossed $1.8 million ($1,840,287), which could be considered satisfactory or meeting expectations. Before its release, ‘Hi Nanna’ had extremely low buzz, with many writing off the film due to the extensive buzz of ‘Animal.’ With only one song, ‘Samayama,’ working to some extent, the other songs didn’t quite click. Also, directed by a debutant, ‘Hi Nanna’ managing to achieve $1.8 million is undeniably a satisfactory result, defying all odds.
Kushi amassed $1.8 million ($1,823,273), and while it seems a decent figure, it fell short of meeting expectations for several reasons. Firstly, Kushi boasts an exciting lead cast with not just Vijay Deverakonda but also Samantha, a proven crowd puller in her own right. Secondly, the multiple successful songs from the film’s audio before its release should have translated into better box office collections. Additionally, the film is directed by Shiva Nirvana, who, while not a debutant, has previously delivered successful films. Additionally, ‘Kushi’ didn’t face any clashes with other films. Despite these advantages, Kushi’s $1.8 million collection doesn’t match up, hence the label of ‘falling short.
Lastly, ‘Miss Shetty Mr. Polishetty’ is worth mentioning as it exceeded expectations. Released with zero buzz and facing tough competition from a star like SRK’s ‘Jawan’, the film had no songs that clicked prior to release. Anushka Shetty was also absent from the promotions. Despite these odds, the film garnered $1.8 million ($1,822,293), and the credit solely goes to the hero, Naveen Polishetty. With just a couple of films under his belt, he carried the film on his shoulders, making it exceed expectations.
