The Telugu movie industry is currently through its worst period in recent memory. Tollywood’s revenue gradually decreased as the success rate of the movies reached an all-time low. Only three films in Tollywood’s recent two months have been financially successful: Kamal Hassan’s “Vikram,” Adivi Sesh’s “Major,” and Sarkaru Vari Paata, starring Mahesh Babu. Among these three ‘Vikram’ is a Tamil dubbed movie. All of the other films, with the exception of these ones, were box office disasters.
Although “Ante Sundaraniki” by Nani received favourable reviews upon release, the producers suffered significant losses. The audience showed no interest in Rana and Sai Pallavi’s ‘Virata Parvam’. At the box office, movies like “Sammathame,” “Pakka Commercial,” and “Happy Birthday” performed horribly. There are numerous other films that were forced to cancel the shows due to empty theaters.
The producers are in a panic due to the films’ dismal box office performance. The financiers are now afraid to finance a movie. Why did these circumstances arise in the movie industry?
Let’s have a look at the factors that are responsible for declining box office performances of the films.
Ticket Prices
The most worrying aspect of the movie industry is the cost of tickets. The public has started to be pickier about the movies they watch as a result of the recent dramatic increase in ticket costs. Ticket costs were RS. 80 for single-screen theaters and RS.150 for multiplexes a year ago. They have roughly doubled in price in a year, currently costing between 150 and 200 RS for single screens and 200 to 300 RS for multiplexes. The high cost of attending a movie at a theater has made it difficult for the average middle class family to do so.
OTT Platforms
The growth of OTT services has significantly impacted the movie industry. During the lockdown, these streaming services experienced enormous growth in popularity. But, the film business has been put down in danger by the greed of producers. In order to profit quickly the producers are selling their films to these OTT platforms, which are making the films available for streaming just after a week of its theatrical release. The audience’s perception of watching the movies in cinema halls has changed as a result of the early OTT releases. People are not willing to watch a movie in theaters unless or until it has something noteworthy. In place of paying exorbitant amounts for movie tickets, people are now willing to wait a week or two to watch the movies directly on OTT.
Actor Remunerations
“Remuneration.” More than ever, this term needs to be taken seriously. The Indian film business has started to adopt the trend of lavish star compensation. To endorse the movie, prominent actors are asking the producers for significant sums. Huge star salaries have become a burden for producers, which indirectly reflects the impact of other elements like overspending on movies, rising ticket prices, and opportunistic deals with OTT platforms. The moment has come for the actors and actresses to think on this troubling issue.
Social Media Reviews and Spoilers
The time when people waited for film reviews from reliable sources is long gone. People started posting spoilers and reviews on social media from the first show as a result of the growth of social media and easy access to the internet. In the form of teasers, spoilers, and word of mouth, it seems like half of the movie will be revealed on social media. The thinking of the audience has changed so that they will only go to the theaters if the reviews and word-of-mouth are overwhelmingly positive. Viewers are unlikely to pay money on a movie unless there is something intriguing about it or it is going viral on social media.
