Game Changer

Game Changer is a 2025 Indian Telugu-language political action film directed by S. Shankar, in his Telugu debut, and produced by Dil Raju under Sri Venkateswara Creations. The film stars Ram Charan in dual roles, alongside Kiara Advani, Anjali, S. J. Suryah, Srikanth, Sunil, Jayaram and Samuthirakani. 

Story by: Karthik Subbaraj

Budget: 4.5 billion INR (2024)

Music composed by: Thaman S

Producers: Dil Raju, Sireesh

Ram Charan’s Game Changer, directed by Shankar, was a massive disaster for both the actor and his fans. While it didn’t flop on the scale of Indian 2, it’s a film that many would prefer to forget. The movie’s content was widely criticized, but what attracted even more backlash was the inflated collection figures that were reported.

The makers released a poster claiming ₹186 crore in gross collections on the first day, when, according to trade analysts, the real figures didn’t even reach ₹86 crore. This massive, inflated figure of ₹100 crore was unprecedented in the Indian film industry.

Ram Charan, who had once vowed to prevent fake collection posters for his films, was heavily criticized for allowing such practices, tarnishing the reputation of the Telugu film industry in the process. Now, a similar scenario has unfolded with Akshay Kumar’s Sky Force.

The film released with virtually no buzz, prompting the makers to employ tactics like offering heavy 80-90% discounts on tickets, indulging in self-bookings and corporate bookings, and declaring inflated collections. A prominent Bollywood trade analyst remarked, “I thought Game Changer’s record for the highest loss-maker would be tough to beat, but it may not last a month. Sky Force released with a ~₹100 crore deficit and burned another ~₹25 crore or so in manufactured box office numbers. This bleeding will continue, and it may end up with losses over ₹150 crore.” The analyst also noted that Sky Force could become the first film to incur a negative theatrical share in the range of tens of crores. Some social media users are mocking how Game Changer damaged the image of the Telugu industry, and now Sky Force seems to be doing the same for Bollywood. While filmmakers have the freedom to sell tickets at discounted prices, the reported collections should reflect the actual sales. For instance, if a ₹200 ticket is sold for ₹20, the reported collection should also be based on the ₹20 price tag, not ₹200. Misleading audiences with fake success figures is a shameful trend and does a disservice to everyone involved. Today’s audiences are smarter than ever—they know the difference between real and fake numbers. Despite some positive word-of-mouth, Sky Force has seen a dramatic crash at the box office.