Weekend Box Office: Dull For Telugu, Can Tamil Dubs Succeed?

Tollywood has had a rather shaky start to 2025 in terms of box office reception. While a few films have worked at the box office, others have stuttered their way to moderate numbers.

Especially, after the Sankranti festive season, the Tollywood box office has been fluctuating. While it seemed to recover with Naga Chaitanya’s Thandel, but the momentum slowed down again after that weekend. The movies released last week failed to impress, and audiences largely preferred ‘Tandel’ over others.

Looking at this week, there aren’t any major Telugu releases expected to revive the box office. Though a few films are releasing, they lack significant buzz.

Bapu starring Brahmaji in a key role, had an interesting trailer but hasn’t generated much hype. Similarly, Ramam Raghavam directed by and starring Dhanraj, has a moderate presence. These films might pick up if word-of-mouth is positive and the reviews are great, but expectations are low.

Among the available options, dubbed films seem to have gained some traction. Tamil actor-director Pradeep Ranganathan, who became popular among Telugu audiences with ‘Love Today’, stars in Return of the Dragon, which has caught the attention of younger audiences. Another Tamil film, Jabilamma Neeku Antha Kopama, directed by Dhanush and introducing his nephew as the lead, is also drawing some interest. The trailers and songs of these movies have been well received.

Meanwhile, the Hollywood dubbed movie Captain America: Brave New World has its own audience base in the multiplex sector. Overall, dubbed films are likely to dominate the box office this week. However, excitement is already building for next week’s Majaka starring Sundeep Kishan, which has strong buzz around it.