Hyderabad: The first quarter of 2026 has turned out to be an uneven phase for Tollywood. Over 40 films were released during these three months, but only a handful managed to perform well at the box office.
Among them, “Mana Shankara Vara Prasad Garu” starring Chiranjeevi emerged as the only true blockbuster. The film pulled large crowds to theatres and stood far ahead of the competition.
January
January maintained its usual Sankranthi strength. Alongside the blockbuster, films like “Anaganaga Oka Raju” and “Nari Nari Naduma Murari” delivered decent performances.
Though these films were not massive successes, they managed to secure respectable collections. However, the much-expected big bang from festival releases was missing once again.
February
February turned out to be a dull month with no notable hits. This breaks the recent trend where the month usually delivered at least one successful film.
Movies such as “Funky” failed to make an impact, adding to the disappointment for both audiences and the industry.
March
March did not bring any major improvement. The biggest surprise was “Ustaad Bhagat Singh”, which failed at the box office despite strong expectations.
A small relief came from “Dhurandhar 2”, a dubbed film that performed fairly well and helped maintain some momentum in theatres.
Overall Performance
Overall, the first quarter delivered one big blockbuster, a couple of average successes, and several disappointing results. Films like “The Raja Saab”, “Funky”, and “Ustaad Bhagat Singh” turned out to be setbacks. Meanwhile, “Couple Friendly” received good reviews but could not convert that into strong collections.
Buzz Around Ram Charan’s Peddi
At the same time, Ram Charan’s upcoming film “Peddi” is generating discussion. The actor recently mentioned that the project is not delayed, but he avoided confirming a fixed release date.
This has created confusion among fans and trade circles. While some believe the film will release as planned, others expect minor changes in schedule. For now, the makers are expected to announce clarity soon.
