The Telugu Film Industry is one of the biggest film industries in the world, producing more films than even Hollywood, at a point in time. Even with the coronavirus pandemic these last two years, Tollywood didn’t give up and even stood as an inspiration for the rest of the country. With the number of cinema-going audiences in the Telugu states, it is common for every film to compare the collections of its first day with another film. As such, here’s a list of the top first day collections in Tollywood in 2021.
Allu Arjun’s Pushpa: The Rise, released on December 17th this year, among huge expectations. Being the third film between Bunny and director Sukumar after Arya and Arya 2, the expectations on the film were high. Fans rushed to the theatre to watch Bunny’s turn as Pushpa Raj, bringing in a whopping amount of Rs. 36.72 Crores on the very first day. Considering the many issues plaguing Tollywood currently, and the coronavirus pandemic, this is a really good number.
Vakeel Saab, directed by Sriram Venu, marked the comeback of Pawan Kalyan to films after 3 years. His last film was Agnyathavaasi in 2018, which was a disaster. Vakeel Saab offered Pawan’s fans everything they would ever want from Pawan’s film, while simultaneously tackling a serious issue. Vakeel Saab brought in Rs. 36.46 Crores on the first day, despite having been released at a time when the second wave of coronavirus was just beginning.
The third film between Balakirhsna and director Boyapati Srinu, after Simha and Legend, was sure to cause a lot of buzz. Audiences went into the theatres expecting a lot from Akhanda, and it didn’t disappoint anyone. In fact, it offered the audiences a lot more than they expected, making it one of the highest-grossing films of 2021, having opened to Rs. 18.04 Crores on the first day.
Uppena, while made by a debutant director, and featuring two debutants as its leads, it had a brand wagon in the form of Vijay Sethupathi, who was making his Telugu debut with the film. The audiences rushed into the theatres to watch him but came out loving the performances of the leads as well. Uppena brought in Rs. 10. 42 Crores on the first day.
Directed by Sekhar Kammula, whose films have their own place in the audience’s hearts, Love Story was one of the most anticipated films in Tollywood. It marked the second film between Sai Pallavi and Sekhar Kammula after Fidaa and the first film between Sekhar and Naga Chaitanya. Love Story opened to Rs. 9.31 Crores on the first day.
2021 marked the comeback of yet another actor. Ravi Teja, who has been suffering due to the lack of a proper success these past few years managed to score a good success in the form of Krack this year, directed by Gopichand Malineni. Krack opened to Rs. 7. 29 Crores on the first day, despite having opened in theatres at just 50% occupancy.
Shyam Singha Roy marked the first theatrical release for Natural Star Nani after 2 years, and also marked his first hit in two years. The film has been one of the most anticipated films of the year, and upon its release, the film managed to deliver on its expectations, with the performances of Nani and Sai Pallavi especially winning over the audiences. Shyam Singha Roy opened up to Rs. 6.91 Crores on its first day.
Akhil Akkineni, who made his debut in 2014, hasn’t been able to deliver a successful film until now. With Most Eligible though, this year, he managed to do exactly that. The film was praised for its concept and the performances of the leads. Most Eligible Bachelor featured Pooja Hegde as its leading lady and brought in Rs. 6.58 Crores on the first day.
Released for Sankranthi, Red saw Ram Pothineni appear in a dual role for the first time in his career. While the film performed averagely at the box office, Ram’s performance was praised, and the film opened up to a good Rs. 5.85 Crores on the first day.
Tamil actor Vijay’s Master was one of the most anticipated films of Tamil since last year. Given that the film featured two Vijays. Thalapathy Vijay and Vijay Sethupathi, the expectations were good even in the Telugu market, resulting in the film opening to Rs. 5.33 Crores on the first day.
Nithiin released three films this year, Check, Rang De and Maestro, of which Maestro had a direct OTT release. While Check and Rang De were released theatrically, Check failed to impress the audiences. Rang De had good expectations on it and even though the film received mixed responses upon its release, the film opened to Rs. 5.2 Crores on the first day.
