Republic starring Sai Dharam Tej had a low opening weekend. Its opening day itself was weak, but it remained steady at that level for the weekend, boosted by the Gandhi Jayanthi holiday on the second day. However, it has dropped big time post the weekend.
The collections on the first Monday dropped nearly seventy percent compared to the Sunday. It is a case of concern for any movie, whether big or small. However, it is more for a film that had a low opening, to begin with. If Republic had to survive, it needed a better hold. It also means that it’s game over for the movie even before the festival holidays commences.
The performance is similar to all regular director Deva Katta releases (barring Vennela). None have worked at the box office irrespective of the critical reception. Republic follows the same trajectory, and it additionally failed to score critically as well.
The lack of clarity with the ending message, the dialogues that go over the head of the audience, a bleak narrative lacking any hope are some of the reasons for the poor numbers. They signify a lack of commercial prospects, which is key to the box office run. A small segment has liked the movie for the same reason, but it is a tiny minority that holds no sway commercially.
Republic puts a break to the successful run of Sai Dharam Tej. Deva Katta, meanwhile, continues his form (box office wise) and has shown sparks of his writing power in parts. It would be interesting to see what he picks next.
