Editorial: Christmas 2025: Crowded release window—eight releases, but only four with good buzz

Movie lovers are gearing up for the final weekend of the year. While new films typically arrive in theatres every Friday, the festive season has heightened the excitement this time. With Christmas falling midweek, the buzz around releases began a day early. In a scenario rarely seen in recent times, the Telugu box office is facing an unusually crowded release window.
Not one or two, but over half a dozen films are hitting screens simultaneously, including Champion, Shambhala, Eesha, Dhandoraa, Patang, Bad Girlz, Vrusshabha, and Max. Interestingly, only four of these films have managed to generate solid buzz, and all of them are from Telugu cinema. Let’s take a closer look at those films.
Champion
Although this war action drama, starring young hero Roshan Meka, was announced quite some time ago, it has managed to generate strong buzz due to its hit songs. Producer Swapna Dutt, director Pradeep Advaitham, and their team have ensured that every piece of content released struck a chord with the audience. With promotions being carried out in a grand manner, Champion has built good anticipation among audiences for this weekend and is set to open well.
Shambhala
Actor Aadi Saikumar, who has been waiting for a solid hit for some time, is coming up with an interesting supernatural thriller titled Shambhala. Directed by Yugandhar Muni, the film has steadily improved its buzz right from the announcement video. As a result, Shambhala has made its way onto the audience’s watchlist this weekend.
Eesha
It looks like the makers wanted to give 2025 a horror-themed ending with this film. The Hebah Patel-starrer has emerged as one of the options for audiences this weekend. This is not just because it’s a horror film, but also due to the effective way the makers have promoted it, which has grabbed eyeballs.
Dhandoraa
If there’s one film that has recreated the kind of buzz generated by Raju Weds Rambai, which recently made waves with its hard-hitting climax, it has to be Dhandoraa. Featuring actor Sivaji and others in strong roles, the film created good buzz with its trailer. Added controversies further fueled discussions around the film, making Dhandoraa one of the most awaited releases this weekend.
Overall, audiences are clearly looking forward to these four films this weekend. While their prospects look promising, the remaining four films have failed to generate even minimal interest among Telugu audiences, despite the presence of noted star actors in some of them. Let’s take a look at those as well.
Malayalam senior star Mohanlal’s Vrishabha was announced long ago as a PAN-India release, but due to inadequate promotions, it has failed to gain attention, reportedly, even less than his recent film Barroz. Also, Sudeep’s action film Mark finds itself in a similar situation. Along with these, smaller films like Patang and Bad Girlz are also part of the race, and the majority are not aware of their release.
It can be said that this rush was caused by some confusion due to Akhanda 2’s postponement and Avatar: Fire and Ash’s release, which led to films that were supposed to release earlier changing their dates. Otherwise, this weekend might have been far smoother and less crowded.The post Editorial: Christmas 2025: Crowded release window—eight releases, but only four with good buzz first appeared on Latest Telugu cinema news | Movie reviews | OTT Updates, OTT.