The Tollywood box office got some respite last weekend after going through a lean phase for several weeks due to lack of big hits since Sankranti season. On the eve of Maha Shivaratri, two Telugu films and one dubbing movie released last Friday. Out of these three, Vishwaksen’s ambitious science fiction drama Gaami emerged as a box office winner with decent revenues in the first weekend.
Gaami, directed by debutant Vidyadhar Kagita, grossed over 20 Crores in the opening weekend. The film took a solid opening due to the strong pre-release hype after the impressive teasers and trailers. Despite a few shortfalls, Gaami managed to garner promising talk and maintained a good hold on Saturday and Sunday. It already attained the break-even mark in many territories.
In Overseas, Gaami had a terrific weekend with close to $ 500k gross. It took an impressive start on Thursday premieres with $ 165K and followed it up with $ 125K on Friday. On Saturday, the film notched up $ 110K. By Sunday, it is likely to close in on the half-a-million-dollar mark.
Another notable film Bhimaa starring Gopichand in the lead role fell short of the trade expectations. After taking a decent start, the film failed to maintain its hold due to weak reports. It grossed around 11 Crores in the first weekend. In overseas, Bhimaa collected a meagre $ 40K in three days.
Runaway Malayalam blockbuster Premalu was dubbed into Telugu and secured so-so numbers in the first weekend. The Telugu version collected $ 60K in USA.