It was a fairly quiet but steady Friday for Telugu cinema in the US and Canada. While Hollywood blockbusters dominated most screens, two Telugu titles kept the flame alive among diaspora audiences — one building on its momentum, the other just getting started. Lenin continues to show decent staying power in its second week.
The Akhil Akkineni-starrer added $26,000 on Friday, taking its total North American gross to $747,000. That’s a respectable hold for a film that’s already been running for over a week.
Word-of-mouth seems to be helping it stay afloat even as new releases and bigger titles fight for attention. Akhil’s fans and the general Telugu audience have clearly kept coming back, which is always a good sign for a mid-week day.
Then there’s the fresh arrival — Oh Sukumari. The family entertainer starring Aishwarya Rajesh and Thiruveer hit screens on July 17 with premieres and regular Friday shows. It opened with a combined $13,000 in North America. For a film that’s more content-driven and multi-language (Telugu, Tamil, Kannada, Malayalam, Hindi), these are modest but not unexpected opening numbers.
It’ll be interesting to see how it holds through the weekend and whether family audiences in key cities turn up in bigger numbers over the coming days. Overall, it’s the kind of Friday that reminds you the Telugu audience in North America is consistent.
They don’t always make noise with massive opening day hauls for every film, but they show up for stories that connect — whether it’s a star-driven action drama like Lenin or a warmer family film like Oh Sukumari.
Both films will have their work cut out this weekend with fresh competition, but early signs suggest Lenin is in it for a decent run, while Oh Sukumari is testing the waters with its more relatable, multi-language appeal.
More updates as the weekend progresses.
