The first quarter of 2026 has already slipped by, and Tollywood is again struggling after a promising start during Sankranti. The attention has now shifted to the all-important summer season. A closer look at January, February, and March reveals a concerning trend. Apart from the festive releases, the industry has failed to deliver consistent box office success.
January witnessed close to 20 releases, with most attention centered on Sankranti films. Prabhas’ Raja Saab, directed by Maruthi, flopped badly and became troll material. Even after edits and added action sequences, the film could not recover.
However, Sankranti did deliver a big success with Mana Shankara Vara Prasad Garu. The film grossed nearly Rs.300 crores, according to producers, becoming the highest grossing film in Chiranjeevi’s career. Director Anil Ravipudi continued his successful streak with a perfect blend of entertainment, star power, and a decent cameo by Venkatesh. Meanwhile, Anaganaga Oka Raju and Nari Nari Naduma Murari also did well. On the other hand, Ravi Teja faced disappointment with Bhartha Mahasayulaku Wignyapthi failing to meet expectations. Overall, Sankranti delivered mixed results.
February turned out to be a complete washout. Euphoria, directed by Gunasekhar, failed to draw audiences, while Funky, starring Vishwak Sen, opened to zero response. Films like Hey Balavanth and Vishnu Vinyasam also flopped. Though Couple Friendly received decent reviews, it failed commercially.
There were hopes that March would perform well with Pawan Kalyan’s Ustaad Bhagat Singh, directed by Harish Shankar. Many expected the duo to recreate the magic of Gabbar Singh, but the film ended up as a colossal disaster. Other March releases like Mruthyunjay, Sampradayini Suppini Suddapoosani, and Band Melam failed to attract even minimum attention from the audience.
Interestingly, the dubbed Hindi film Dhurandhar 2 emerged as the biggest crowd puller during this period. The film started off well in the Telugu states, drawing significant footfall in multiplexes and sustaining theatre occupancy when local films struggled. But when compared to its Hindi numbers, the South version numbers were not up to the mark. The expectations from Dhurandhar 2 in Telugu were much higher.
Excluding Sankranti releases, Tollywood has not delivered a single solid hit in the first three months of 2026. The industry is clearly facing a tough phase.
Now, all eyes were on the summer lineup, especially on Peddi. But there are strong reports that Peddi is going to be postponed to May or June. Now, the industry hopes that medium budget films like Dacoit, Biker, and Swayambhu carry the responsibility of reviving the box office this summer. If these films fail to deliver, Tollywood will again be in the doldrums.
