Tollywood review 2023. As the curtain descends on 2023 in a matter of days, let's take a comprehensive look at Tollywood's journey throughout the year.
The year kicked off with two notable hits, namely Chiranjeevi's "Waltair Veeraya" and Balakrishna's "Veerasimha Reddy." These Sankranti releases saw "Waltair Veeraiya" emerging as a blockbuster and "Veerasimha Reddy" attaining super-hit status. Adding to the success, Vijay's Tamil dubbed movie "Varasudu" and Bollywood's "Pathan" in late January also garnered favorable collections in Telugu.
A prolific month with over 16 releases, witnessing two blockbusters and a hit. "Writer Padmabhushan," featuring Suhas, marked a triumphant start. Dhanush's Telugu film "Sir" achieved blockbuster status, crossing the 100-crore mark. Additionally, 'Vinaro Bhagyamu Vishnu Katha' starring Kiran Abbavaram found success among the audience.
Although 15 films were released, only three achieved success. Jabardast Venu's short film "Balagam" garnered significant acclaim, followed by Vishwak Sen's 'Das Ka Dhamki,' which received positive reviews and decent box office collections.
With around ten releases, Sai Dharantej starrer 'Virupaksha' stood out as a blockbuster, while Akhil starrer "Agent" and Samantha's "Sakunthalam" found themselves among the year's biggest disappointments.
May saw Gopichand's "Ramabanam," Allari Naresh's "Ugram," and Naga Chaitanya's "Custody" facing setbacks. However, the short film 'Mem Famous' gained traction, along with the Malayalam dubbed movie '2018.'
Out of the 15 movies released, only 'Samajavaragamana' starring Sri Vishnu emerged as a blockbuster. Notably, Prabhas' highly anticipated 'Adipurush' turned out to be a disappointment.
A month marked by the release of around 17 small films, with Anand Deverakonda's 'Baby' being the sole blockbuster. Pawan Kalyan and Sai Dharam Tej's mega multi-starrer 'Bro' faltered at the box office.
Rajinikanth's 'Jailer' achieved blockbuster success, contrasting with Chiranjeevi's 'Bhola Shankar,' which faced failure. August ended on a high note with 'Bedurulanka 2012,' receiving acclaim and becoming a super hit.
Naveen Polishetty's 'Miss Shetty Mr. Polishetty' marked a blockbuster, while the Bollywood dubbed movie 'Jaawan' achieved hit status. However, 'Khushi' fell below expectations, and 'Skanda' proved to be a flop.
Dussehra season in October saw 'Mad' becoming a super hit, while 'Leo' and 'Bhagwant Kesari' found success. Ravi Teja's 'Tiger Nageswara Rao' attained average performance.
Out of approximately 20 releases, 'Polimera 2' stood out as a blockbuster. 'Kotabommali PS' became a super hit, while films like 'Keeda Koka,' 'Japan,' and 'Aadi Keshav' faced disappointment. Ajay Bhupathi's 'Mangalavaram' landed in the average category.
The year concluded with the release of 10 films, with 'Animal' and 'Hi Nanna' emerging as super hits on December 1. The late December release 'Salar' is anticipated to make a significant impact. Notably, 'Devil' and 'Bubble Gum' were released in the last weekend, with their full-run outcomes yet to be determined.
In 2023, Tollywood witnessed the release of over 170 movies, encompassing various sizes and languages. However, less than half of them yielded profits proportionate to the investments made. Star heroes, except for Prabhas, remained notably absent, contributing to a year that, overall, left losses for Tollywood. The success rate, as is customary, hovered around 20%, showcasing the industry's ongoing challenges despite occasional box office successes.