This Sankranti, we have a triangular clash, but the usual spice is missing. The typical buzz surrounding Sankranti releases—fandom clashes, differences, and the resulting sales spikes—is notably absent this year.
Starting with Ram Charan’s Game Changer, the film is carrying a low pre-release buzz. Despite concluding a grand pre-release event in Dallas, the event did little to boost its performance. The film’s pre-sales are still around $500K. A star hero of this tier-1 category Ram Charan visiting Dallas to generate hype seems to have yielded zero results, judging by the pre-sales over the past several days.
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Balakrishna’s Daaku Maharaaj also held its pre-release event in Dallas recently, with pre-sales around $150K—a figure far from satisfactory. Similarly, Anil Ravipudi and Venkatesh’s Sankranthiki Vasthunam has pre-sales below $50K, with limited locations open so far.
A common pattern emerges: the pre-release events in Dallas have drawn significant interest from the local Telugu community, but this enthusiasm has not translated into pre-sales across the U.S. This lack of momentum is clear compared to previous Sankranti clashes, where fandom rivalries typically drove ticket sales. The absence of such clashes is palpable this year.
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Furthermore, the films releasing this Sankranti—Game Changer, Daaku Maharaaj, and Sankranthiki Vasthunam —aren’t the type to generate heavy pre-release buzz. Fans seem less invested in promoting these films prior to their release.
Recent pan-India event films are also to blame for this. These days, films like Devara or Kalki easily excite fans, mainly due to their unique backdrops. Films with regular settings are being taken lightly by star heroes’ fans.
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At this point, the talk emerging from the first U.S. premiere shows are likely to be highly critical.
Looking at the break-even targets:
• Game Changer needs $4.5–5M, a challenging feat given the current pre-sales trend.
• Dhaku Maharaj requires around $1.5M.
• Sankranthiki Vasthunam needs about $1.2M.
These targets are daunting, considering the lackluster pre-sales. The first premiere show reports will be critical in driving these films’ success.
