Box office May 2023- Telugu films that clicked and failed in Tollywood

Post the pandemic, there were a plethora of releases that rocked Tollywood. Multiple films are being released one after the other in Telugu and Agent was one such much-hyped film that got released on the 28th of April and flopped big time at the box office. Let's look at the other big hits and misses of Telugu cinema in the month of May.

Agent

Agent starring Akhil and Mammootty was in the making for the last two years. Released on April 28th, 2023, the film was directed by popular filmmaker Surender Reddy. The action drama was made on a massive budget of 80 crores and did not even collect 10 crores at the global box office leaving the makers in massive losses. Sakshi Vaidya played the female lead in this film.

Rama Banam

Gopichand needed a big hit under his belt and for this reason, he paired up with Sriwass, who gave him two of his biggest hits of his career with Loukyam and Lakshyam. Rama Banam was released on May 5th,2023 and started with a bad word of mouth. Within the first weekend, the film fell flat at the box office and was removed from several theaters in Telugu states. Gopichand's hunt for one big hit continues.

Ugram

After the super hit Naandhi, Allari Naresh teamed up with director Vijay Kanakmedala for a cop drama titled Ugram. Released on May 5th, the film was promoted on an aggressive note and had decent reviews. But the box office numbers were not that great and the film ended as a below average fare. Allari Naresh's performance was appreciated by the critics.

Custody

The trailers, promotions for this Naga Chaitanya film were top-notch and everyone expected that this bilingual would do well at the box office. But sadly, director Venkat Prabhu failed to impress the audience as Custody ended as a colossal flop at the box office. The film which was released on May 12th, 2023 was out of theaters within the first week of its release.

Anni Manchi Sakunamule

Released on May 18th 2023, Anni Manchi Sakunamule was produced by the makers of Mahanati and Project K. Nandini Reddy directed this family drama which was panned by the audience on the first day itself. Though the film had to collect a mere five crores to be in the safe zone, it failed to do so and ended as a flop at the box office. Santhosh Soban and Malavika Nair played main leads.

Malli Pelli

Released on May 26th, Malli Pelli was one of the most awaited films in Telugu cinema as it was based on the real life relationship of Naresh and Pavitra Lokesh. The lead pair made heads turn with their bold statements at the promotions and this showed in the openings. The film opened to passable reviews and collected decent money in its first week. As the theatrical rights were sold for low amounts, the makers recovered their money in time.

Bichagadu 2

The Tamil film, Bichagadu was a huge hit in Telugu and naturally, there was a solid buzz for the sequel. Though the reviews for Bichagadu 2 were dull in Telugu, the audience thronged the theaters and made this film a huge hit in Telugu. Bichagadu starring Vijay Antony made over 10 crores gross in Telugu states thereby becoming a massive blockbuster.