Mana Sankara Vara Prasad Garu Rescues Tollywood?
Topping the list is Bollywood blockbuster Dhurandhar: The Revenge with a phenomenal ₹1,850 crore gross, followed by Border 2 with ₹465 crore
According to trade reports, the 2026 box-office rankings reveal one clear trend — while most Telugu films struggled, Chiranjeevi's Mana Shankara Varaprasad Garu emerged as Tollywood's biggest success story.
Topping the list is Bollywood blockbuster Dhurandhar: The Revenge with a phenomenal ₹1,850 crore gross, followed by Border 2 with ₹465 crore. Chiranjeevi's Mana Shankara Varaprasad Garu secured third place with an impressive ₹310 crore worldwide, making it the highest-grossing Telugu film of the year so far.
"Chiranjeevi has saved the face of Telugu cinema by delivering a solid blockbuster. The film stands tall amid a string of disappointments, including The Raja Saab and Ustaad Bhagat Singh," says a distributor.
Among other notable performers, Suriya's Karuppu crossed ₹300 crore, Akshay Kumar's Bhoot Bangla collected ₹286 crore, while Malayalam hits Vaazha 2 and Drishyam 3 grossed ₹235 crore and ₹200 crore respectively.
The biggest surprise, however, remains The Raja Saab. Despite Prabhas' star power, the film managed only ₹200 crore worldwide, making it a below-par performer by expectations.
With several major releases still to come, the final box-office picture of 2026 is yet to emerge. For now, Mana Shankara Varaprasad Garu stands as Tollywood's lone major winner.