The high-octane action sequel Akhanda 2: Thaandavam, starring Nandamuri Balakrishna, is experiencing a predictable slowdown as it moves into the second week of its theatrical run. After a powerful opening, the film's weekday collections have shown a visible decline, indicating a front-loaded performance that is now moderating.
Week Two Trends Show Declining Footfalls
According to data from trade tracker Sacnilk, the film amassed a robust ₹76.75 crore in its first week, powered dominantly by its core Telugu-speaking audience in Andhra Pradesh and Telangana. However, the dubbed versions in Hindi, Tamil, Kannada, and Malayalam have contributed only modestly to the overall tally.
The second-week pattern confirms a drop in audience interest. On its second Friday (Day 8), the film collected approximately ₹1.7 crore, a steep fall of over 40% from the previous day. While there was a slight recovery over the weekend, with Day 9 (second Saturday) earning around ₹2.5 crore and Day 10 (second Sunday) bringing in an estimated ₹2.42 crore, the numbers are far from the opening weekend frenzy. This brings the film's total India net collection to about ₹83.37 crore after ten days.
Day 11 Occupancy Data Highlights the Slowdown
The occupancy figures for Day 11, a Monday, clearly underlined the softening demand. The overall Telugu occupancy for the day stood at 16.41%. A break-up of the shows reveals morning occupancy at 14.15%, afternoon shows at 16%, and evening shows faring slightly better at 19.09%. Although some key Telugu centres reported relatively better afternoon turnout, the weekday footfalls are significantly lower compared to the film's inaugural weekend.
Regional Disparity and Future Prospects
Trade analysts point out that while Akhanda 2 swiftly crossed the coveted ₹100 crore mark worldwide early in its run—a testament to Balakrishna's mass appeal and the director-actor duo's track record—its performance across regions has been uneven. Holds in markets outside Andhra Pradesh and Telangana have been particularly underwhelming.
Directed by Boyapati Sreenu, the film released on 12 December in 2D and 3D formats. It is the sequel to the 2021 blockbuster Akhanda and marks the fourth collaboration between Balakrishna and Boyapati Sreenu. The film features Samyuktha Menon as the female lead and Aadhi Pinisetty as the main antagonist, with music composed by Thaman S.
Industry observers now believe the film's final box office fate hinges on how steeply the collections decline during the remainder of the second week. For big-ticket, star-driven Telugu films like this, the ability to sustain weekday business beyond the initial ten-day period is often the deciding factor between a genuine blockbuster and a merely front-loaded success, especially in the absence of strong critical acclaim.
