Can Kiccha Sudeep’s Mark and Arjun Janya’s multi-starrer 45 end the year on a high for Sandalwood?
2025 has not been the greatest for Sandalwood, barring the surprise hit Su From So and Kantara Chapter 1. Can Mark and Arjun Janya’s 45 provide some year-end cheer at the box office
Last Updated: 02.45 PM, Dec 23, 2025
In a recent promotional interview for his next, Mark, Kannada superstar Kiccha Sudeep was asked about the state of affairs in Sandalwood, what with only 2 films ( Su from So and Kantara Chapter 1) having achieved some level of success in 2025. Sudeep said that as far as the rest of the 240-odd films that released in theatres this year go, there were a lot of genuine efforts to entertain and do something different. It’s not that audiences have completely given up on the theatre experience; every now and then something does catch their fancy – it may not be a Kannada film, though. Like, for instance, Dhurandhar taking the country by storm now.
What are audience expectations of Mark and 45?
At the very end of such a dull year come two star-led films – Mark and 45, the latter being the directorial debut of composer Arjun Janya, starring Shivarajkumar, Upendra and Raj B Shetty. The films are releasing 2 weeks after Challenging Star Darshan’s The Devil came out, with the latter having underperformed at the box office. According to trackers, The Devil has grossed in the vicinity or Rs 35 cr, after 12 days in theatres, with the second Monday recording its lowest total yet. Can Mark and 45 end the year on a high for Sandalwood?
Advance bookings for the paid premieres of 45 and the 6 am EMS of Mark have been open for a few days now, but the response to both has been sluggish. The buzz on social media is that with Mark, the impression is that the film is in the same template as Sudeep’s Max, which came out only a year ago. Although Sudeep has said that it is a different character, there is no denying that there will be similarities in treatment, given that the same technical team is involved and that the actor is playing a fearless and fierce ‘suspended’ cop again.
As for 45, even though Shivarajkumar, Upendra and Raj B Shetty headline the cast, Arjun Janya is still a newbie director. He’s not revealed much about the plot and the visual effects were not all that impressive so far. After the trailer came out, netizens had said that the film is either set to blow the minds of audiences or will be a major disappointment. There’s no middle ground for Arjun’s film, they reckoned.
In the current scenario, it seems that both films have a lot riding on the word-of-mouth publicity from their first show. Arjun is opening with paid premieres on December 24th, with the next show only at 10 am on the 25th, by which time, the word will be out, whether or not it is worth a shot. Sudeep’s film kicks it off with 6 am shows on December 25.
FAQs of 45 the movie and Mark the movie
Q. Where to watch Kiccha Sudeep's Mark?
A. Kiccha Sudeep's Mark releases in theatres on December 25, 2025. Following the theatrical run, the film is expected to head to JioHotstar (via OTTplay Premium also). This is yet to be officially affirmed. The film also stars Yogi Babu, Guru Somasundaram, Shine Tom Chacko, Naveen Chandra, Vikranth, Pratap Narayan, Gopalkrishna Deshpande, Mahantesh Hiremath, Roshni Prakash, Archana Kottige and Deepshikha, among others.
Q. Where to watch Arjun Janya's directorial debut 45?
A. 45 releases in theatres on December 25, 2025. The film will be on Zee5 (via OTTplay Premium also) after its theatrical run. The film stars Shivarajkumar, Upendra, Raj B Shetty, Rajendran, Jaffer Sadiq and Pramod Shetty.