Ram Pothineni's 'Double iSmart' Beats Ravi Teja's 'Mr. Bachchan' in First-Day Box Office Collections

Ram Pothineni’s 'Double iSmart' has made a remarkable entry into the Tollywood box office, achieving the highest first-day collections among Telugu movies released on this Thursday. The film, along with Ravi Teja’s 'Mr. Bachchan', was presented as an Independence Day gift to moviegoers, with the Telugu version of Vikram’s 'Thangalaan' and Narne Nithiin’s 'Aay' also hitting the screens.

Out of the four films, 'Double iSmart' emerged as the leader in first-day collections. Trade circles report that this mass action movie amassed approximately Rs 7.5 crores worldwide on its opening day. In comparison, Ravi Teja’s 'Mr. Bachchan' collected Rs 5.3 crores.

The collections in the Telugu states were particularly noteworthy. 'Double iSmart' garnered Rs 5.2 crores in Andhra Pradesh and Telangana, with Rs 2.5 crores coming from the Nizam area alone. 'Mr. Bachchan' managed to pull in Rs 4.5 crores within the same region.

Despite their impressive collections, both 'Double iSmart' and 'Mr. Bachchan' received mixed reviews from audiences and critics. There were criticisms regarding the storyline and direction of both films, which influenced the initial buzz. Nevertheless, the first-day performance remained strong, driven by the star power of Ram Pothineni and Ravi Teja.

Directed by Puri Jaganndh, 'Double iSmart' is a sequel to the hit film 'iSmart Shankar'. The movie, with a break-even target of around Rs 50 crores, started its journey with an opening collection of Rs 7.5 crores, raising questions about its ability to achieve profitability. The film features Bollywood actor Sanjay Dutt as the antagonist and Kavya Thapar as the female lead. The unique plot, incorporating the concept of memory transfer into a revenge drama, showcases Ram’s energetic performance and powerful dialogue delivery, which have captivated his fans.

'Mr. Bachchan', directed by Harish Shankar, is a remake of the Bollywood movie 'Raid'. With a break-even target of approximately Rs 32 crores, the film had a solid start but failed to sustain the momentum. Bhagyashree Borse plays the heroine, and the film is produced by TG Vishwaprasad under the People Media Factory banner. The story revolves around a dedicated income tax officer, providing an engaging plot for the audience.

The trade circles are optimistic about the potential of 'Double iSmart' and 'Mr. Bachchan' to achieve significant openings, with initial estimates suggesting more than Rs 10 crores on the first day. However, the mixed reviews and audience feedback have cast doubt on the films' long-term performance. Reports indicate that the collections might dip on the second day, reflecting the challenge both films face in sustaining their box office success.