Tollywood’s 2026 April & May: Total Washout

After the massive boost Tollywood got at the beginning of 2026, thanks to the blockbuster Sankranthi hits, many believed this summer season would finally bring theatres back to life after a two-month lull in February and March. But instead, April and May turned into two of the most disappointing seasons for the industry in recent times. Despite nearly 50 releases across both months, with 29 original Telugu films, not even a handful of films managed to create impact at the box office.

In April, around 24 films hit theatres. Out of them, only Biker, Rakasa and Dacoit managed to generate at least some buzz among audiences. Though big numbers are claimed for these movies, trade talk is that neither Sharwanand’s Biker, nor Adivi Sesh’s Dacoit gave them any relief. Same is the case with Niharika Konidela’s Rakasa. Biker could have become a much bigger success had the emotional core landed stronger. Rakasa worked partially because of its comedy moments, but the routine storyline restricted it to an average result. Meanwhile, despite huge buzz around Adivi Sesh and Mrunal Thakur’s performances, Dacoit failed to shake the box office the way many expected. Audiences appreciated the performances, but complained about the lack of freshness in the narrative.

Then came Naga Shaurya’s Bad Boy Karthik, which ended up becoming yet another major disappointment for the actor. There’s nothing even to talk about the movie. There are also films like Paapam Pratap and Thimmarajupalli TV that were released in April, but nothing worked out. If April was weak, May became even duller.

May began with Gayapadda Simham, which had some entertaining moments thanks to Tharun Bhascker’s comedy timing, but the revenge-crime angle failed to connect strongly with audiences. At the same time, Mathu Vadalara team's Jet Lee saw a few laughs working because of Satya, but a weak second half pulled the film down badly. Even Lavanya Tripathi’s Sathi Leelavathi failed to leave any impact.

Nearly 29 films were released during the peak summer holiday period, but most of them were extremely small-budget films with limited buzz. The industry completely failed to cash in on what is usually considered the golden theatrical season. After this mighty washout, the monsoon season is coming, which gives respite from hot summer, so is Ram Charan’s Peddi, which should provide relief to the dry run of Tollywood.