The box office buzz around Sankranti releases has almost faded. At best, the momentum may last for another week, but after that, theatres are likely to see a dull phase. At present, Chiranjeevi continues to dominate the ticket windows with Mana Shankara Vara Prasad Garu, while others are struggling to stay afloat with average collections. On the other hand, Ravi Teja and Prabhas are out of this race after BMW and Raja Saab disasters.
The last week of January and the first week of February do not have any major releases that can pull large crowds. Films like Om Shanti Shanti Shantihi and Gunasekhar’s Euphoria are struggling to create buzz. Unless there is extraordinary word of mouth, these films will find it tough going. However, since none of these films directly target the mass audience, theatres cannot expect heavy footfalls.
Looking ahead, the box office may not see a big boost until the arrival of Pawan Kalyan’s Ustaad Bhagat Singh in the last week of March. Even this release is yet to be officially confirmed. Earlier reports suggested that if Peddi moved away from its March 27 release, Mythri Movie Makers would bring Ustaad Bhagat Singh to that date. Those discussions reportedly began nearly two months ago.
If Ram Charan steps aside, then Pawan Kalyan is expected to take charge of the slot. The competition from films like Dhurandhar 2 and Toxic is not a major concern, as Ustaad Bhagat Singh mainly targets the regional Telugu market, unlike pan India releases.
With The Paradise also stepping aside, the entire last week of March has become wide open. After enjoying average success with OG and the blockbuster Mana Shankara Vara Prasad Garu, Mega fans strongly believe that Ustaad Bhagat Singh will complete a hat trick of celebrations.
Director Harish Shankar has already begun dubbing work and is preparing a special promotional strategy. Since Pawan Kalyan cannot attend every promotional event, the team is focusing on creative publicity ideas. Once the release date is officially locked, these plans are expected to roll out in full force.
