Earlier this year, Sankranthiki Vasthunnam hit theatres during the Sankranthi season and collected nearly ₹300 crore worldwide. Since then, no straight Telugu film had crossed that number until They Call Him OG arrived in September.
Released on September 25, They Call Him OG opened strong and grossed close to ₹300 crore in its first ten days. On Sunday, the makers officially announced that the film is now the highest-grossing Telugu film of the year.
This year saw fewer big releases, and several major films underperformed at the box office. With no releases from pan-India stars like Prabhas and Allu Arjun, and Jr NTR’s War 2 being classified as a Hindi film, the competition has been limited. Mahesh Babu is busy with #Globetrotter, which won’t arrive soon. The next major contender for the year-end box office is Akhanda 2.
The sequel has strong prospects if everything goes as planned. It carries the brand value of the 2021 blockbuster Akhanda and marks the reunion of Nandamuri Balakrishna and director Boyapati Sreenu, a duo known for delivering three hits together. The first film performed well even on OTT platforms in dubbed versions. With Akhanda 2 being planned as a pan-India release, positive word of mouth could help it compete for the top spot.
Akhanda 2 Thaandavam stars Nandamuri Balakrishna and Samyuktha Menon. Directed by Boyapati Sreenu and produced by Raam Achanta and Gopi Achanta under the 14 Reels Plus banner, the film features music by Thaman and is slated for worldwide release on December 5, 2025.
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