Box Office Surprises: How Star Power Can Overcome Mixed Reviews

Sometimes, the box office performance of a film doesn’t align with the buzz or reviews it receives. Even with mixed reviews or a lukewarm audience response, some films manage to rake in phenomenal collections. Two recent examples illustrate this perfectly.

The first is L2: Empuraan. Despite not matching the impact of Lucifer, its massive box office success is largely due to Mohanlal’s star power and the strong brand value of the franchise. The film has now claimed the number one spot in Kerala, standing tall despite controversies and criticism. Interestingly, its response in other languages, including Telugu, has been much less enthusiastic.

The second example is Good Bad Ugly, starring Ajith. Despite its illogical storyline, strange characterizations, and an overpowering background score, Ajith’s vintage avatar has his fans in a frenzy. The film is on track to become the top grosser in Tamil Nadu for the year, even though it didn’t surpass the openings of films like Beast, Leo, or Jailer. Similar to L2, it’s not doing great in other language versions but is dominating in Tamil.

This phenomenon highlights the undeniable power of star presence. We’ve seen it in Telugu cinema too, with films like Agnyaathavaasi and Sardaar Gabbar Singh, which were box office disappointments but still made waves on the first day. Even Guntur Kaaram, despite divided talk, turned a profit in certain regions. Devara is another example—despite mixed reactions, it crossed ₹500 crores, all thanks to Jr. NTR’s mass appeal.

In the end, when star power meets the right content, the results can be magical. Pushpa 2 is a perfect testament to how limitless success can be when an engaging story combines with immense star presence.