Most importantly, Mana Shankara Vara Prasad Garu emerged as a blockbuster. Its success brought audiences back to theatres in large numbers and recreated a festive atmosphere across cinema halls.

Out of the five Sankranthi releases, only The Raja Saab failed big time. The rest turned out to be safe bets. Films like Anaganaga Oka Raju and Naari Naari Naduma Murari reached breakeven, while Bhartha Mahasayulaki Wignyapthi is limping on its way slowly. After a long gap, theatres saw multiple films running to full houses at the same time, which came as a big relief to distributors and producers.

The year 2025 was largely disappointing. Films featuring Jr NTR and Ram Charan flopped badly, while Mahesh Babu, Allu Arjun, and Chiranjeevi did not have releases. Venkatesh and Pawan Kalyan were the few bright spots. Nagarjuna appeared in supporting roles in Kubera and Coolie, but those films did not fully satisfy fans. Even Balakrishna's Akhanda 2 turned into a disaster.

Interestingly, it was smaller films like Little Hearts, Raju Weds Rambai, and Shambala that surprised at the box office. Still, the overall mood is now optimistic, as 2026 looks far more promising.

Several big pan India films are lined up, including Peddi, Ustaad Bhagat Singh, The Paradise, the NTR Prashanth Neel project, Fauzi, Swayambhu, Dacoit, and Goodachari 2. Dubbed biggies like Toxic and Dhurandhar 2 are also carrying strong buzz.

If most of these films release on schedule, Tollywood could be headed for a memorable box office year. After a brief slowdown in February, business is expected to pick up again from March, setting the tone for an exciting year ahead for Telugu cinema.