Epic – First Semester has not found its audience even on OTT. The Anand Deverakonda and Vaishnavi Chaitanya film, which turned out to be a disaster at the box office, started streaming on Netflix on October 9. But instead of finding a second life, the film is facing an even harsher response online, with a huge wave of trolls across social media.
A Disaster at the Box Office
Epic – First Semester released in theatres on September 11 with good expectations. It is the continuation of the most loved web series #90’s – A Middle Class Biopic, and it brought back the Baby pair of Anand Deverakonda and Vaishnavi Chaitanya. On paper, it had everything going for it.
But the film opened to mixed reviews and crashed after the first weekend. The collections dropped sharply in the second week, and the film was completely washed out by the third. It ended its run around the ₹10 Cr gross mark worldwide, far short of its break-even, and closed as an outright disaster.
The Hope Was OTT
After the theatrical failure, the team, especially director Aditya Hasan, believed the film would at least work on OTT. There was a reason for that hope. The original #90’s series was a digital hit, and its fans were mostly OTT audiences. Many expected that the same viewers would connect with Epic once it arrived on streaming.
Netflix released the film in Telugu, Tamil, Hindi, Kannada and Malayalam, giving it a much wider reach than its theatrical run.
The OTT Response Is Even Worse
That hope has not worked out. The response on Netflix has been more outrageous than in theatres. Viewers who skipped it in theatres are now watching it at home, and many of them are taking to social media to troll the film. Memes, clips and harsh comments about the story and treatment are going viral.
The bigger reach on OTT has only made the negative response louder.
Where Did It Go Wrong?
The biggest problem seems to be that the team’s idea was completely disconnected from the audience. The #90’s series worked because it was simple, relatable and full of middle-class emotions that every Telugu family could connect with. Epic moved the story to London and turned it into a college romance, with Anand Deverakonda playing a grown-up Aditya from the series.
For fans who loved the warmth and simplicity of the series, this shift did not feel like a natural continuation. The film lost the very things that made #90’s special.
What It Means for Epic: Final Semester
The film was planned as the first part, with a follow-up titled Epic – Final Semester. With the theatrical failure and now the OTT trolling, the future of the second part looks very uncertain.
Epic – First Semester was the feature film debut of Aditya Hasan, who directed the #90’s series. It was produced by Naga Vamsi under Sithara Entertainments and Fortune Four Cinemas, with Sai Soujanya as co-producer. Sivaji, Vasuki, Srinivas Gavireddy and Kalyan Shankar played key roles, and Hesham Abdul Wahab composed the music.
