The season of summer movies starts in March. Every year this month definitely sees some hits. "Balagam" and "Das Ka Dhamki," which were released in March last year, were hits.
"RRR" came out in March the previous year. Going further back, there are some gems. And what about the box office situation in March this year?
Nine movies were simultaneously released on March 1st and 2nd. But the sad thing is, not a single one was a hit. "Operation Valentine," which came with some expectations, also failed, indicating a small shock for Tollywood. Apart from Varun Tej's performance and appearance, this movie failed to impress in any other aspect.
Alongside this movie, "Chari 111" starring Vennela Kishore in the lead role and Bhaskar Narayan's "Bhoothaddam," directed by Shiva Kandukuri, also flopped. Ram Gopal Varma's "Vyooham," focusing on current politics in Andhra Pradesh, was also released this week and became a flop. Even re-releases like "Kick" and "Narasimha Naidu" failed to make an impact.
"Bheema" and "Gaami" films competed in the first week. The Shivratri weekend was also expected to benefit these movies, but none of these factors worked in their favor. Gopichand's movie received mixed reviews on its release day, mostly turning negative afterward.
"Gaami" movie is another story. Vishvak Sen's experiment was appreciated by the audience seeking variety. Strong promotion led to good openings, but the film couldn't meet expectations afterward. The audience dwindled as time went on.
However, the Malayalam dubbed movie "Premalu," released alongside these, performed well in multiplexes. Apart from these, five other films released during the Shivratri weekend were flops.
In the second week, movies like "Razakar," "Tantra," and "Vey Daruvey" came out. Among them, "Tantra" impressed with its publicity. Ananya Nagalla played the lead role, and horror elements were well executed. However, without proper promotion, the film failed to attract a wider audience. With more promotion, it could have fared better.
After a long gap, Sairam Shankar's "Vei Daruvei" was a flop. Despite huge publicity, "Razakar" failed to attract audiences to theaters. Along with director Kalyan Krishna's film called "Lambasinghi," another film called "Sharatulu Vartiyutham" also failed to release this week.
"Om Bheem Boosh" was released in the third week. This farcical horror comedy made by Srivishnu, Priyadarshi, and Rahul Ramakrishna brought occasional laughs. However, the audience, expecting something more akin to "Jathi Ratnalu," was disappointed. Though the makers persisted, the audience remained indifferent. Expectations were high, but it didn't live up to them.
Two movies were re-released this week. One of them is teh re-release of 'Nuvvu Nenu' Starring Uday Kiran, which made an impression in B and C centers surprisingly. Though it had a limited release, many people went to theaters to see it. The other re-release 'Ee Rojullo' failed to impress.
"Tillu Square" was released towards the end of March. The real success of this month is this movie. Sidhu Jonnalagadda played the hero, and there were high expectations. "Tillu Square" met those expectations, providing exactly what the audience wanted. Currently running successfully in theaters, this movie is likely to garner good collections.
However, other films like "Goat Life," "Talakona," and "Kaliyugam Pattanamlo" all remained flops. Overall, around 35 movies were released in March, with only "Tillu Square" emerging as a winner.
