Akhanda 2 – It Now Gets Tougher in Overseas

Nandamuri Balakrishna’s crazy sequel Akhanda 2 couldn’t release this Friday owing to a legal dispute of its producers over some pending financial obligations. Though initially reports suggested a considerable delay, the makers are reportedly trying to sort out the issue as early as possible and release the film at least late in the day. 

But, the film has now faces a tricky situation with regard to its overseas release. As the film failed to hit the screens as per the original schedule, many theatres which were secured by overseas distributors have now been allotted to Hollywood films like Zootopia 2 and Wicked: For Good for the rest of the weekend. This means, Akhanda 2 will not be able to get adequate number of screens in North America even if the makers try to release in the next few hours. 

There are strong hopes on the overseas performance of Akhanda 2 because the first part notched up $ 1 Million gross and the hype surrounding the sequel is quite phenomenal due to Balayya – Boyapati Srinu combination. So, there will be a huge loss in theatrical revenues if the film is not screened in desired number of screens as distributors will find it extremely difficult to get back screens in this weekend. 

The makers can now aim only for next week release i.e on December 12th if they want to ensure wide release in North America. Moreover, another Hollywood biggie ‘Avatar : Fire and Ash’ will hit the screens on December 19th. So, there will be huge competition for theatres and Akhanda 2 will have only one week time to perform well in overseas territories. 

On the whole, the release date fiasco has now pushed the overseas distributors into a spot of bother. While the domestic run may hardly get impacted despite the postponement due to the high expectations and lack of any other big releases, the overseas revenues might suffer due to Hollywood films.