Nithiin Thammudu flopped both in theatres and on Netflix. Discover why this ₹75 crore film failed to connect with audiences and what lessons filmmakers can learn from its downfall.
Launched on July 4, 2025, Thammudu, featuring Nithiin and directed by Venu Sriram, was touted to be a major redemption drama. While Thammudu was built as a large-scale narrative on a brother-sister relationship, it was a huge failure – not only in the theaters, but on OTT as well (it’s even a letdown on Netflix). It was reported to have made ₹75 crore (“about” $950,000) with a box office collection of ₹6.97 crore net in India. Thammudu serves as a warning to filmmakers that having a bankable star isn’t a guarantee of success.
In my years of watching and tracking Telugu cinema
…I have to say that Thammudu is an excellent example of how even the best resources can amount to nothing because of a lack of a good story. Let’s look closer as to how this box office failure – a drop in the bucket in the scheme of things, when you compare its opening week in theaters and decrease in numbers as people seem to give up on it on OTT, through always before a few initial day of trend buzz, albeit, no factual puede persona was present whatsoever.
The numbers don’t lie: A true box office disaster.
Budget: ₹75 crore (about)
Domestic box office collection: ₹6.97 crore net
OTT (Netflix?)
Audience rating on Netflix: Average rating below 4.5/10 (based on many social media and user polls)?
1. Poor Screenplay
One of the primary reasons why Thammudu failed was its lackluster screenplay. The storyline of a brother redeeming himself by saving a sister they have been estranged from because of a corrupt industrialist had the makings of a well-earned tearjerker. Instead, we got a poorly constructed film with absolutely no surprises.
2. Forced Emotional Connect
If you’ve seen enough Telugu family dramas (look at Seetamma Vakitlo Sirimalle Chettu for example), you know how strong sibling bonds can be and how moving that can be on screen. But Thammudu struggled to create that experience.
This left many viewers feeling disconnected by the forced emotional arcs between Nithiin’s character and his sister. The bond they established in their first scene had no authenticity. The melodrama frequently overpowered the moments where the movie was trying to portray authentic, emotional connections.
Takeaway: Real emotion always triumphs over excessive melodrama, especially in a genre defined by relationships.
3. Flat Characters
For a drama focusing on personal redemption, shockingly, there was little depth to the characters in Thammudu.
The main character who undergoes transformation in the plot rushes his way to redemption
The sister character is essentially missing from a plot moment, not even a part of a living character
The villain, the bad industrialist, does not even have a real motivation, except for being a “bad industrialist.”
Even movie audiences today, including OTT, want more than an undercooked character. And no star, at any point, will save it.
4. Old-Fashioned Story Telling Style
While Telugu cinema is producing raw, honest blockbusters like Dasara or Virupaksha, Thammudu appeared hopelessly outdated in terms of modern direction. You do not write and direct films that way anymore, and it relied heavily on things like:
overly dramatic flashbacks
overblown background scores to artificially create tension
predictable hero vs. villain standoffs
People have grown up. They are looking for original, contemporary, and realistic films, even on OTT, and unfortunately, Thammudu was completely oblivious to that opportunity.
Why Thammudu Failed on OTT Too
You might think OTT would be an opportunity for Thammudu to get some breathing room. It’s not like viewers could be hard on Thammudu when they could simply excuse it by watching it in their homes? Apparently Netflix viewers rejected the film just as hard as the theatre fans did.
Here’s why:
No repeat value – given all the better things to watch on OTT, viewers noped out of Thammudu after the first 30 minutes.
Less-than-stellar word of mouth – social media reviews were decidedly negative months on, even after it landed on Netflix.
Competition – while Thammudu was on everyone’s minds, other OTT movies like Bhaje Vaayu Vegam or Family Star were playing, drawing audiences’ attention away from Thammudu with more captivating titles.
Filmmaking lesson? You can’t expect OTT to magically fix a broken movie. Netflix, Hotstar, or Prime Video are creating a reputation around quality, so they will need to deliver that for audiences to return to their platform.
Examples of Recent OTT Failures:
Radhe (Salman Khan, 2021)
Disastrous box office receipts
Also got trolled on Zee5
Acharya (Chiranjeevi, 2022)
Flopped in theatres
Underperformed on Amazon Prime
These examples, like Thammudu, remind us that star value won’t replace a poor script across any format.
What is the Future of Telugu Cinema?
Thammudu should be a warning for Telugu producers and filmmakers, we live in a world where audiences are becoming increasingly spoiled for choice as a result of OTT platforms. It is going to take new, relatable, quality stories to survive. Star vehicles with no writing are going to flop, in theatres and on streaming services.
FAQs
1 What is Thammudu about?
Thammudu is about a brother who protects his estranged sister from a corrupt industrialist while attempting to redeem himself.
2 How did Thammudu flop with a big budget?
It was a combination of poor screenplay, no character arc, and outdated storytelling that audiences did not engage with.
3 How much money did Thammudu earn?
The film’s net take in India was approximately ₹6.97 crore against a budget of ₹75 crore; it was a box-office disaster.
4 Did Thammudu do well on OTT?
No, it was a failure on Netflix too, and the majority of audience reviews blindly criticised its predictable, melodramatic plot.