Mani Ratnam’s magnum opus Ponniyin Selvan 2 is going to release this week on April 28. Akhil Akkineni’s much-awaited spy thriller Agent is also releasing on the same date.
The first part, Ponniyin Selvan, couldn’t create any ripples at the Telugu box office though it was a huge hit in Tamil. Usually, when the first part is a big hit, the hype and bookings for its second part would be sky-high. But in the case of PS 2, the bookings even for the Tamil version in India and US are much lesser compared to the first part.
In Nizam, the film’s dubbed Telugu version is being distributed by Dil Raju. He is also the distributor of Agent. But it seems he has already given up on PS 2 and is allotting more screens and shows for Agent than PS 2. For example in Hyderabad, Sudarshan 35 MM and Brahmaramba have been given to Agent and taken away from PS 2.
The scenario is the same wherever the same distributor is distributing both films. The distributors are showing more confidence in Agent than in PS 2, due to the underwhelming performance of the first part that resulted in low hype for PS 2. In other areas, exhibitors are also more keen on having Agent than PS 2 in their theaters.
For an instance, in the East Godavari district, Vintage Creations is handling the distribution of both films. But here also, a better and more number of screens are being given to Agent instead of PS 2.
