March 2025 saw a flood of releases at the Tollywood box office, but only two films – Court: State Vs A Nobody and MAD Square – managed to strike a chord with audiences and make money. The rest struggled to leave a mark.
April hasn’t changed the narrative so far. The first week passed quietly, with no notable successes. The second week, however, saw four prominent films hit theaters: Jack, Good Bad Ugly, Jaat, and Akkada Ammayi Ikkada Abbayi. Here’s a look at how they fared.
JACK:
Siddhu Jonnalagadda’s Jack, released on April 10, 2025, followed the success of Till Square, the sequel to DJ Tillu. Directed by Bommarillu Bhaskar, this spy action drama had moderate expectations. However, it fell flat from day one, collecting around Rs. 2 crore share so far. The film has been a disappointment for everyone involved.
GOOD BAD UGLY:
Tamil star Ajith Kumar’s Good Bad Ugly, produced by Mythri Movie Makers, marked their debut in Tamil cinema. It opened to a massive response in Tamil Nadu and collected around Rs. 100 crore alone in the state. Also, it became one of the highest-grossing films of Ajith overseas.
However, its Telugu release suffered due to a lack of promotion. Many didn’t even know the film had hit screens in Andhra Pradesh and Telangana. Despite its success in Tamil, it failed to connect with the Telugu audience.
JAAT:
Directed by Gopichand Malineni, Jaat marked his foray into Bollywood with Sunny Deol in the lead. Released only in Hindi, it opened to mixed reviews and earned Rs. 49 crore nett in India and Rs. 58 crore worldwide within five days. However, the movie failed big time overseas, with negligible collections. With Akshay Kumar’s Kesari Chapter 2 around the corner, sustaining momentum could be a challenge.
Though the film was made by a Telugu director and production house, it found no traction in Telugu states, and there was no official word about a Telugu-dubbed version from the makers.
AKKADA AMMAYI IKKADA ABBAYI:
This small-budget comedy drama Akkada Ammayi Ikkada Abbayi starring Pradeep Machiraju and Deepika Pilli hit screens on April 11, 2025. Despite having moments of fun, the absence of big names worked against it. With limited visibility and minimal promotion, it remained under the radar and failed to register at the box office.
Upcoming Releases: Can They Revive the Box Office?
After weeks of underwhelming performance, two new releases offer hope for Tollywood.
ODELA 2 (April 17, 2025): This supernatural thriller features Tamannaah Bhatia and is directed by Ashok Teja. The trailer has generated strong buzz, and the genre gives it the potential to perform well – if the content clicks with audiences.
ARJUN S/O VYJAYANTHI (April 18, 2025): This emotional action drama stars Nandamuri Kalyan Ram, with Vijayashanti in a pivotal role. Directed by Pradeep Chilukuri, the film has caught attention with its intense trailer. If the emotional beats land, it could deliver a solid opening.
CONCLUSION:
Tollywood has had a slow start this April, with most movies failing to do well at the box office. Except for Court: State Vs A Nobody and MAD Square in March, no film has made a strong impact in terms of collections.
Now, all hopes are on Odela 2 and Arjun S/o Vyjayanthi. Both films have created good buzz, and if audiences like them, they could bring big numbers and much-needed success. Tollywood needs a hit to bring crowds back to theaters. Let’s see if this weekend can finally change the box office story.