2 - Turning bad omen for the production house. Lyca Productions, known for its lavish spending on high-budget films and its willingness to take risks with big-name directors and star combinations, is currently experiencing a slump in its sequel ventures. While the production house has a history of making bold investments, its recent string of sequels has failed to deliver the expected returns, leaving them with significant losses.
The trend began with "2.0," a sci-fi extravaganza featuring Rajinikanth and directed by Shankar. Despite its massive budget and star power, the film, while commercially successful, failed to achieve the blockbuster status anticipated across all languages.
The sequel to Mani Ratnam's epic historical drama, "Ponniyin Selvan 2," fared better in Tamil but struggled to replicate its success in other languages, particularly the Telugu dubbed version. "Chandramukhi 2," featuring Lawrence and Kangana Ranaut, also faced a disappointing response, failing to meet expectations despite a promising premise.
"Indian 2," the latest sequel produced by Lyca, is following a similar trend. While the film garnered initial interest, the box office performance has been underwhelming, with lukewarm reviews and tepid audience response posing a significant threat to its success.
The production house's reliance on sequels continues, with upcoming projects like Mohanlal's "Lucifer 2" (titled "Empuran") and Arun Vijay's "Mafia 2" and "Mission 2" in various stages of production. However, the lack of a sequel as commercially successful as "Baahubali" or "KGF" is causing concern for Lyca.
The question arises whether the production house can break this trend and deliver a sequel that rekindles its box office magic. The risk of a disappointing performance with "Indian 3" looms large, raising concerns about the future of Laika's sequel strategy.