Sometimes, box office results turn out to be surprisingly different from the talk a film receives. Even when the reviews are mixed or the general audience response isn’t fully positive, the collections can still be phenomenal. Two recent examples stand out in this regard.
The first is L2: Empuraan. Though it doesn’t come close to Lucifer in terms of impact or content, the massive collections came in thanks to Mohanlal’s image and the strong brand value of the franchise. The film has now claimed the number one spot in Kerala. Despite controversies and criticism, it stood strong. Interestingly, L2 received a lukewarm response in other languages, including Telugu.
The second example is Good Bad Ugly. Ajith’s vintage avatar has his fans going wild. Despite the illogical storyline, strange characterizations, excessive old-movie references, and an overpowering BGM, fans are loving it. The movie is racing ahead to become the top grosser in Tamil Nadu for the year. While it hasn’t overtaken the openings of films like Beast, Leo, or Jailer, it’s still fascinating to see how a film without unanimous positive talk is being celebrated so widely. Just like L2, this one is doing average in other language versions, but dominating in Tamil.
This is the power of star presence. We’ve seen similar cases in Telugu cinema too. Films like Agnyaathavaasi and Sardaar Gabbar Singh were box office disasters, but fans still talk about the first-day records. Even Guntur Kaaram, despite divided talk, ended up bringing profits in some areas. Take Devara as another example — despite mixed initial reactions, it went past ₹500 crores, all thanks to Jr. NTR’s mass appeal.
All it takes is the right content — and our stars can create magic. There’s no better example than Pushpa 2, which proved that the sky is the limit when star power meets engaging storytelling.
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