Thandel: After An Underwhelming Box Office Run, Naga Chaitanya Starrer Emerges Blockbuster On TV!
Thandel pulled off something remarkable during its worldwide television premiere, securing one of the top viewership spots in the Telugu television landscape. But how does this success stack up against its theatrical run?
Thandel Flopped At The Box Office, But Its TV Premiere Turned It Into A TRP Blockbuster! (Photo Credit – Instagram)
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Thandel, starring Naga Chaitanya and Sai Pallavi in the lead roles, was released in the first quarter of 2025 with huge expectations of theatrical success. Made on a budget of 75 crores, the film underperformed at the Indian box office. However, on TV, it has surprised everyone with its performance.
However, something magical has now happened. Thandel had its small-screen premiere on ZEE Telugu on June 29, 2025, and managed to secure a TRP rating of 10.32. (TRP stands for Television Rating Point, a metric used to measure viewership figures.)
The TRP figure of Thandel was reported by TrackTollywood. With this figure, Thandel can be considered a blockbuster in terms of its initial television broadcast. This TRP rating also makes Thandel the third Telugu movie with the highest initial broadcast viewership in 2025, behind Sankranthiki Vasthunam and Pushpa 2: The Rule.
Thandel is a fictionalized take on a real-life incident involving Indian fishermen captured by Pakistani authorities at sea. At its core, the film is a survival drama interwoven with a romantic thread, the story of a woman waiting for her loved one to return, and the protagonist’s struggle to reunite with her.
Thandel Box Office Performance
Initially, the film performed well at the box office but lost momentum after the first week. Thandel was released in three languages: Telugu, Hindi, and Tamil. The film managed a worldwide gross of 88.72 crores, with a net collection of 65.92 crores, against a budget of 75 crores. This means the film recovered only around 87% of its budget through its domestic box office earnings.
If you’re planning to stream the film, it’s available on Netflix. In addition to the original Telugu version, it is also dubbed and available in Tamil, Hindi, Kannada, and Malayalam.
