Summer is usually the most lucrative season for Telugu cinema, but Summer 2025 has been nothing short of a disappointment. Despite the strong cinema-going tradition in Andhra Pradesh and Telangana, this year has seen a massive drop in footfalls, primarily due to a lack of engaging theatrical releases and shifting audience preferences toward OTT platforms.
As May draws to a close, not a single Telugu film has emerged as a genuine box office success. The spotlight now shifts to Bhairavam, slated for a late-May release, but the buzz around it remains lukewarm. The absence of mass-appeal entertainers and top-tier stars has left fans underwhelmed, leading to what many are calling a “box office drought.” The few hopes left are pinned on Pawan Kalyan’s Hari Hara Veera Mallu and Nagarjuna’s Kubera, both expected to hit theatres in June.
Industry observers point to a concerning trend — the infrequent releases of major stars. Previously, star-driven films would draw massive crowds every few weeks, but the current slowdown has made audiences more comfortable waiting for digital premieres. While some blamed IPL 2025 for the dip, even that argument has lost steam as local favorite Sunrisers Hyderabad and even Chennai Super Kings underperformed this season, failing to be the box office rival they usually are.
With the monsoon season approaching, the industry now faces pressure to bounce back with strong theatrical content.