Balakrishna’s Akhanda 2 faced an unexpected delay before its theatrical release, and it also received unanimous below-par or disappointing reviews, but still, the film is getting numbers at the box office above expectations.
Normally, films that open with negative word of mouth (WOM) and poor reviews crash during the opening weekend itself. For such films to collect big numbers, strong stardom is required. This is especially difficult for senior heroes, which is why no senior hero film has ever crossed the ₹100 crore gross mark with negative WOM and reviews.
Akhanda 2, which was released after a postponement and with average buzz, opened to mixed reviews and below-par WOM, but is performing above expectations. Everyone expected the film to collapse during its first weekend and fail to post any numbers. While collections did drop and did not match business expectations, the film did not crash completely. Instead, it managed respectable numbers considering the feedback and even crossed the ₹100 crore gross club, becoming the first senior hero film to achieve this despite negative WOM.
On its 10th day (second Sunday), the film recorded strong occupancies and even witnessed house full shows, something unexpected. With the Christmas and New Year holidays ahead, the film is likely to add more decent numbers.
That said, the movie missed a big opportunity. Looking at its collections, if Akhanda 2 had opened with positive WOM and reviews, it could have easily reached ₹250 crore gross in its full run. Instead, it is doing only half of that. Still, for the kind of WOM it received, the performance is above expectations. Initially, trade experts predicted the film would end its run at around ₹70–75 crore gross, but it has sustained far better than expected.
