The US box office is going through a harrowing time. The first half offers ample proof of it when we analysis to look at the successes and failures. There is only one genuine blockbuster success.
The Big Surprises:
Actually, it is not a plural, it is a singular, as there is only one movie that can be put in this category. It is nothing but F2. The Venkatesh and Varun Tej starrer was a money spinner for everyone who bought it worldwide. The US was a major success story as F2 crossed 2 Million.
There were a few movies like Majili, etc. which just about managed to be breakeven, but much bigger was expected from them. Under such circumstances, we have to say Agent Sai Srinivas Athreya was a surprise. The genre is in alien territory. The hero Navin Polishetty too was a debutant. Usually, such films fare much worse. But, it did manage decent collections and sprang a surprise.
The Shockers:
The year of 2019 started with double shocks, courtesy of Vinaya Vidheya Rama and NTR Kathanayakudu. The former was expected to be below par, but the final numbers were shockingly low considering a low bar in the first place. The latter was expected to score better, but it failed to get the audience to theatres.
However, those films can be termed as mild disappointments when compared to Superstar Mahesh Babu starrer Maharshi and Natural Star Nani’s Jersey. The former, even with an average word of mouth, was expected to become the highest grosser in the US (non-Baahubali), but it failed to cross 2 Million.
Jersey, on the other hand, had sensational reviews and yet struggled to breakeven. Its performance baffled the trade as it has everything going for it to become a big grosser in the US.
