Akhanda 2 Effect: Break for Balakrishna–Gopichand Malineni Combo

Nandamuri Balakrishna, who has been enjoying back-to-back successes, recently faced an unexpected setback with ‘Akhanda 2’. As a sequel to a blockbuster film made with director Boyapati Srinu, the movie was expected to repeat the same success. However, it failed to meet expectations and caused heavy losses to the makers. Trade sources estimate that theatrical losses alone may cross ₹40 crore.

The non-theatrical side also suffered. Netflix bought the digital rights with an agreement to pay ₹80 crore if the film crossed ₹200 crore gross, or ₹35 crore otherwise. Since Akhanda 2 managed only around ₹100 crore gross, the makers are set to receive just ₹35 crore from Netflix.

After this result, the industry believes there is more clarity about Balakrishna’s market range. Even a big hit is unlikely to cross ₹150 crore gross and reaching ₹100 crore share is difficult. Because of this, the upcoming film planned with director Gopichand Malineni is said to be on hold. Their earlier film ‘Veera Simha Reddy’ was a strong commercial success, but the new project was planned as a historical film with a massive budget of nearly ₹250 crore. Without strong pan-India reach or very high Telugu box office potential, the risk was considered too high. As a result, producers are said to have decided to stop the project for now. How true this is remains to be seen.