Tollywood epic disasters:
The Telugu film industry (TFI) has witnessed several high-budget films that, despite significant investments, failed to recover their costs at the box office. These films, each with a theatrical business exceeding ₹50 crore, managed to recoup less than 40% of their investments, marking them as notable box office disasters.
1. Double Ismart – 22% Recovery
2024 Top Hits (Tamil) – Video Songs |
#07 |
Song – SteppaMaar
Music – Mani Sharma
Singers – Sunandhan, Sahithi Chaganti
Movie: Double ISMART#Top2024HitSong #KollywoodHits2024 #TamilMusic #DanceSong2024 #RamPothineni #RampothineniMovie #TamilSong #TAmilSongs pic.twitter.com/bHlcEUzP0N— Aditya Music Tamil (@AdityaTamil_) December 30, 2024
Released in 2024, Double Ismart was a sequel to the successful Ismart Shankar. Despite the anticipation, the film garnered only 22% of its investment, leading to substantial losses for the producers.
2. NTR Kathanayakudu – 28% Recovery
#NTR Biopic 1st Part #Kathanayakudu Release On 9th Jan 2019#NTRBiopic #NTRKathanayakudu pic.twitter.com/E56Qewl1kW
— NTR THE LEGEND (@NTRTHELEGEND) October 4, 2018
This 2019 biographical drama, based on the life of Nandamuri Taraka Rama Rao, failed to resonate with audiences. With a recovery of just 28%, it stands as one of TFI’s significant financial setbacks.
3. Liger – 31% Recovery
#Liger worldwide theatrical release on September 9th 🔥🔥#VijayDeverakonda #AnanyaPanday#Liger9thSept
— Cinema Mania (@TheCinemaMania) February 11, 2021
Starring Vijay Deverakonda, Liger was a 2022 sports action film that aimed to make a mark but fell short, recovering only 31% of its budget. The film’s underperformance was a disappointment for fans and investors alike.
4. Bholaa Shankar – 33% Recovery
Tollywood – 2023:
Most Profitable – #WaltairVeerayya
Most Losses – #BholaaShankar pic.twitter.com/S3C0HJpHhI— Movies4u Official (@Movies4u_Officl) December 31, 2023
Featuring Chiranjeevi, Bholaa Shankar was a 2023 action entertainer that managed to recover just 33% of its investment, marking it as a significant box office failure.
5. Acharya – 35% Recovery
Groove to the mass beats of #SaanaKastam video song from the movie #Acharya.#Chiranjeevi #ReginaCassandra #ManiSharma #Bhaskarabhatla #Revanth #GeethaMadhuri #VideoSongs #TeluguVideoSongs #AdityaMusic pic.twitter.com/rcU34COgiV
— Aditya Music (@adityamusic) December 18, 2024
Released in 2022, Acharya starred the father-son duo Chiranjeevi and Ram Charan. Despite high expectations, the film recouped only 35% of its budget, resulting in considerable financial losses.
6. Radhe Shyam – 40% Recovery
YOUR COMMENTS HAVE FINALLY BEEN ANSWERED! Radhe Shyam (Hindi) is arriving on Netflix on 4th May 🥳 pic.twitter.com/vPXq2hrXLX
— Netflix India (@NetflixIndia) April 29, 2022
This 2022 romantic drama, featuring Prabhas, was anticipated to be a blockbuster. However, it recovered just 40% of its substantial budget, making it one of the notable flops in TFI.
As the industry looks forward, all eyes are on Ram Charan’s film Game Changer. Given the mixed outcome of these high-budget films in recent times, there is keen interest in how Game Changer will end at box-office by end of its run.
