The Sankranti releases witnessed a clash, and both critical and commercial verdicts are out. Critically, no film received notable appreciation.
Commercially, it’s Venkatesh and Anil Ravipudi’s Sankranthiki Vasthunam dominating all the way, both in India and at the North America box office.
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Interestingly, a senior star like Venkatesh has dominated a tier-one star hero like Global Star Ram Charan in North America. Ram Charan’s follow-up film after RRR, Game Changer, has been comfortably beaten by Venkatesh.
Notably, Game Changer, being a massive-budget pan-India film, has been beaten by a senior star’s regional release.
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Sankranthiki Vasthunam has grossed $2.3 ($2,305,788) million so far, while Game Changer has only managed $2 million ($2,071,786). There’s also a strong chance that Venkatesh will score his first $3 million grosser in the U.S., which is a significant milestone. Meanwhile, Game Changer, the biggest pan-India Telugu film, is headed for massive losses for its U.S. distributor.
This is an unusual scenario and rarely occurs, as senior heroes like Venkatesh, Nagarjuna, and Balakrishna beating tier-one stars, especially those with pan-India projects. Chiranjeevi might be an exception, given his much stronger box office pull compared to the other senior stars.
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Ultimately, this scenario underscores that neither a tier-one star, a pan-India label, nor a massive budget can save a film once the audience rejects it outright.
