Epic-First Semester Box Office: Anand Deverakonda’s Film…

The Telugu drama opened with a modest 2.1 crore net but slipped to under 1 crore in its second week, ending the run at a 48% shortfall.

Anand Deverakonda’s much‑talked‑about venture Epic‑First Semester has officially wrapped its theatrical run, and the numbers are stark. After a launch that netted just over 2 crore in India, the film’s earnings nosedived, leaving it with a shortfall that Koimoi quantifies at 48 percent of its production cost.

The opening day figure, reported at 2.1 crore net, gave the impression of a steady start, especially after Vijay Deverakonda shuffled his own upcoming project to grant his brother a solo window. Yet the momentum evaporated quickly. Day two saw a dip, and by the end of the first week the film had scraped together a little over 7 crore net domestically. The second week was a stark contrast – collections fell below the 1 crore mark, and the third week saw the film disappear from most screens.

In total, Epic‑First Semester amassed roughly 7.8 crore net in the Indian market, translating to about 9.2 crore gross. Overseas territories added another 2.65 crore, pushing the worldwide gross to just under 12 crore. When stacked against its 15 crore budget, the film recovered barely more than half of its outlay, leaving a deficit of around 7.2 crore.

The project, an A‑rated spin‑off of the popular Telugu web series 90s – A Middle Class Biopic, featured Vaishnavi Chaitanya in the lead and saw the return of Sivaji and Vasuki, who reprise their parental roles from the series. Director Aditya Haasan, who debuted on the big screen with this film, hoped the series’ fan base would translate into box‑office traction. The numbers suggest the crossover appeal fell short.

Industry observers note that the modest budget, while lower than many mainstream releases, was still too high to be covered by the modest earnings. The film’s inability to sustain its opening buzz hints at a disconnect between the web‑series audience and cinema‑goers, a pattern not unfamiliar in recent Telugu adaptations.

For the Deverakonda camp, the outcome may prompt a recalibration of release strategies. Vijay’s decision to move Rana Baali shows the family’s willingness to protect each other’s windows, but the financial hit could influence how future spin‑offs are green‑lit. Meanwhile, Vaishnavi Chaitanya’s next steps will be watched closely, as a strong performance can sometimes offset a box‑office stumble.

So, while Epic‑First Semester didn’t set the cash registers ringing, it adds a data point to the ongoing conversation about web‑series adaptations in regional cinema. The next chapter for the Deverakondas will likely be measured against these figures, and fans will be keen to see whether the next release can turn the tide.

Box‑office snapshot

Opening day net: ~2.1 crore
Week‑1 net: >7 crore
Week‑2 net: <1 crore
Total Indian net: 7.8 crore
Worldwide gross: ~11.85 crore
Budget: 15 crore
Deficit: 48 percent

The numbers are in, the verdict is clear: Epic‑First Semester closed as a loss‑making venture, and the Deverakonda brothers now have a fresh set of figures to dissect before their next cinematic gamble.