As the Sankranthi festivities wrap up, people in Telugu states are returning to work, but the celebrations at the theatres continue. Venkatesh’s Sankranthiki Vasthunam has emerged as a massive hit, becoming the clear winner of this year’s Pongal box office race. Directed by Anil Ravipudi, the film was the last release during the festive season, but it stole the spotlight, grossing over Rs. 131 crores within four days of release. The family entertainer received a unanimous positive response and has already crossed the breakeven mark in all regions. It's expected to generate huge profits for everyone involved over the weekend.
The second-place film is Nandamuri Balakrishna’s Daaku Maharaaj, directed by Bobby Kolli. This action-packed film grossed more than 100 crores and reportedly recovered 82% of its costs within six days. It is expected to break even by the weekend.
On the other hand, Game Changer, the much-anticipated big film of the season, ended up as a disaster. Despite collecting Rs. 170 crores in gross and Rs. 88 crores in share, it needed over 220 crores in share to break even, resulting in a loss of more than 130 crores. However, producer Dil Raju found some relief through the success of Sankranthiki Vasthunam, which helped offset the losses from Game Changer. Both films were produced by him, with Daaku Maharaaj distributed in Nizam.