Tollywood’s troubles show no signs of ending as another Friday has turned disastrous at the box office, with theatres across Andhra Pradesh and Telangana continuing to struggle for crowds.
According to trade circles, the biggest issue is simple: the absence of star hero films and the lack of excitement surrounding this week’s releases. Because of that, even regular first-day moviegoers are staying away from theatres, leaving exhibitors increasingly worried about poor footfalls.
Among the new releases, Godari Gattupaina arrived with some awareness after being promoted heavily as a “cool summer entertainer.” However, the film failed to create any kind of pre-release buzz mainly because lead actor Sumanth Prabhas still does not command a strong market, and the music also failed to become popular. According to trade pundits, the film reportedly collected only around Rs. 1 crore gross on its opening day, which is poor.
Director Ravi Babu’s Razor also failed to create any impact and reportedly opened to very weak collections. Interestingly, Ravi Babu had strongly slammed Tollywood stars and filmmakers during promotions, blaming them for damaging the theatrical experience. But Razor itself failed to offer anything fresh. The film ended up as a weak imitation of the Korean thriller The Man from Nowhere, with several scenes seemingly inspired by films like Enemy of the State and other action thrillers.
Another release, Lavanya Tripathi’s Sathi Leelavathi, appears to be in even worse shape. It is one of those films where things go wrong from the beginning and never recover. The narrative reportedly collapses as the film progresses, leaving almost nothing memorable. As expected, the opening numbers are extremely poor, and industry circles believe the chances of recovery are almost impossible.
However, the larger issue goes beyond whether these films are good or bad. The real concern is why even audiences who traditionally watch films on release day are avoiding theatres completely. While extreme summer heat and the ongoing Indian Premier League IPL are affecting attendance to some extent, industry insiders believe those reasons alone cannot explain the reduction in footfalls.
Telugu audiences still show huge enthusiasm for theatrical cinema when a film genuinely excites them. At the same time, audience behavior has changed sharply in recent years. OTT platforms and piracy continue to damage theatrical viewing habits. Every Thursday and Friday, streaming platforms release fresh content, and many viewers now feel it is easier to stay home and watch that instead of stepping out in the scorching summer heat.
Still, the biggest problem remains the lack of truly exciting content that creates urgency among audiences to visit theatres immediately.
With Peddi still weeks away from its June 4 release, exhibitors are now desperately hoping smaller films can at least survive for a week and maintain minimum occupancy. Trade circles are now watching closely to see whether any film before June 4 can finally generate enough excitement to bring back genuine houseful morning shows, at least on opening day.
