Naga Chaitanya and director Chandoo Mondeti’s hyped film Thandel has been out in theaters, with critical verdicts emerging right after the first show. But the commercial verdict is now clear—looking at the U.S. box office run, it is evident the film flopped in the U.S.
Thandel in North America, including the U.S. and Canada, has grossed $813K. With the long weekend over—Monday being a national holiday for Presidents’ Day in the U.S.—the film’s run is effectively done.
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So far, Thandel has grossed $813K, falling far short of its $1.3 million breakeven mark. Surprisingly, it did not even enter the $1 million club, which shouldn’t be a big deal these days.
A film with a known star cast like Naga Chaitanya and Sai Pallavi, along with a rooted, rustic, real-life story, had all the ingredients to at least cross a million. That’s now the bare minimum benchmark for Telugu films in the U.S.
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Prior to release, there was a lot of chatter about Sai Pallavi’s star power and the hype surrounding her pairing with Naga Chaitanya, but none of it translated into box office impact.
Expectations were high until the Thandel theatrical trailer dropped. The moment it was out, whatever excitement existed diluted significantly. The trailer was a major misfire. Instead of amplifying the hype, it had the opposite effect, impacting U.S. pre-sales. Once the trailer was out, there was no momentum in advance bookings—a critical first misstep.
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When the film hit theaters, the second half and the ideas director Chandoo Mondeti played around with resulted in a barely average experience. A weak or barely watchable second half never amplifies positive word of mouth unless there is a great seasonal advantage or a huge star, and that’s exactly what happened.
If it was the director’s decision to shape the second half around a patriotic angle, he bears responsibility. It’s unclear who else was involved in this key decision-making.
In terms of offline promotions, producer Bunny Vasu put his heart into the project to boost Naga Chaitanya’s commercial success, which worked to an extent in the Telugu states, especially during the first weekend. He stood as the backbone for the film, but without solid content, there’s not much anyone can do after the initial push. A film like Thandel ending below $850K in its full run needs no further explanation.
