Nandamuri Balakrishna’s much-anticipated sequel, Akhanda 2: Thaandavam, directed by Boyapati Sreenu, opened well at the box office, benefiting from paid premiere shows in India. At the North American box office, the film collected $452K from premiere shows alone, making it the fourth-highest premiere opening for a Balayya starrer in the region.
Despite the last-minute postponement, the distributors secured a good number of screens for the action drama. So far, the film has collected a little over $900K in North America. However, Akhanda 2 collections have seen a dip in this territory following mixed reviews, and it now needs to pick up pace to move closer to the breakeven mark.
Adding to the challenge, the release of James Cameron’s Avatar: Fire and Ash is expected to pose stiff competition for Balakrishna’s film in its second weekend. Trade circles feel that the film could have performed much better had it arrived on the originally planned date of December 5, but due to unforeseen issues, the makers had no option but to delay the release.