Content Is the New Star Power in Tollywood’s Box Office?

Tollywood’s box-office dynamics appear to be undergoing a significant shift. While star power continues to play an important role in attracting audiences, recent releases suggest that strong storytelling, engaging screenplays and quality content can also drive films towards commercial success. The encouraging response to several mid-budget projects has created fresh optimism within the industry and sparked debate over whether content is gradually becoming more important than a film’s star value.

Among the films reportedly benefiting from this trend is Viswanath & Sons, starring Suriya and directed by Venky Atluri. The film is said to have collected around ₹150 crore gross worldwide within five days and reportedly earned about ₹45 crore from overseas markets, putting it on course towards the ₹200-crore mark. Maa Inti Bangaram has also reportedly crossed ₹100 crore, while the ₹25-crore-budgeted DC is said to be delivering strong returns. Korean Kanakaraju and Chennai Love Story are also reportedly performing well. The trend suggests that content, positive word-of-mouth and release timing are increasingly influencing a film’s box-office journey.