The entire nation is eagerly anticipating the global release of ‘Kalki 2898 AD‘, directed by Nag Ashwin and starring Prabhas, scheduled for this Thursday, June 27. Advance ticket sales have already begun and are selling rapidly. Following authorization to raise ticket prices in Andhra Pradesh and Telangana, all theaters are now charging significantly more. Reports confirm that the demand for advance bookings is strong not only in the Telugu states but also in northern regions. However, the practices some theaters are adopting for ticket sales have sparked controversy, leading to widespread outrage among fans.
Why are fans upset?
It seems that some theaters are capitalizing on the high demand for the ‘Kalki’ movie to maximize profits. Although tickets are shown as available online, users find themselves unable to complete their bookings, leading to suspicions. On ‘BookMyShow’, tickets are marked in green to signify availability, yet fans encounter a ‘Sorry! Something is not right’ message when attempting to purchase them. This has led to significant dissatisfaction among fans, who accuse theater owners of holding back tickets to sell them at inflated prices on the black market. Despite concerns over high ticket costs, some fans are still trying to make bookings, driven by their admiration for the lead actor. However, these manipulative practices by theater owners are causing frustration and could potentially deter future theater visits.
In the 1000 Crore Club…
Meanwhile, the ‘Kalki’ movie is receiving more responses than expected for advance bookings. Typically, advance bookings for a star hero’s movie are more vigorous in Tier-1 cities. However, ‘Kalki’ is also seeing strong bookings in Tier-2 cities. Audiences from small towns and villages are equally keen to watch ‘Kalki’. Given this backdrop, even a slight positive buzz on opening day could result in a downpour of collections at the box office. If that happens, ‘Kalki’ could easily cross the 1000 crore mark.
What’s the first-day target?
Previously, ‘Baahubali 2‘, a collaboration between Rajamouli and Prabhas, fetched over 200 crores on its first day. Rajamouli’s next film ‘RRR‘ also crossed the 200 crore gross mark. Since ‘Baahubali 2’, Prabhas has not touched this mark again. Last year’s grand release ‘Saalar‘ also failed to collect 200 crores on its first day. Hence, the first-day target for ‘Kalki’ is rumored to be over 200 crores. There is keen interest to see if Prabhas can achieve this feat independently without the Rajamouli brand. If Prabhas manages this, ‘Kalki’ could become the highest-grossing film of the year.
Ticket Price Increase
Telugu state governments have green signals for the hike in ‘Kalki’ ticket prices. Recently, the Telangana government authorized an increase, suggesting prices can be raised from June 27 to July 4 to 75 rupees in single screens and up to 100 rupees in multiplexes. The Andhra Pradesh government also gave good news to the ‘Kalki’ team, allowing increases up to 125 rupees in multiplexes and permitting additional shows. Each theater can now screen up to 5 shows, significantly boosting ticket prices across Telugu states. On average, watching a movie in a multiplex can cost up to 500 rupees per ticket (including taxes), while single screens charge between 200-300 rupees. Families are facing expenses in the thousands to watch a movie, leading to posts of dismay online.
Each ticket costs up to 3000 rupees!
The ‘Kalki’ movie is making a notable impact in the north as well. Bollywood audiences are keenly interested in watching this film starring Pan-India actor Prabhas. Theater groups, noticing this trend, are aiming to capitalize on it. In Mumbai, there are reports of advance booking tickets for ‘Kalki’ being sold at high prices; in multiplexes, each ticket is going for around 2000 rupees. Drive-in theaters are pricing tickets as high as 3000 rupees. In Delhi’s multiplexes, ticket prices vary from 1300 to 2000 rupees, while in Bangalore, some multiplexes are charging between 1100 and 1500 rupees. In Hyderabad, tickets for benefit shows are reportedly being sold on the black market for up to 3000 rupees.
Record shows for ‘Kalki’ in Hyderabad…
In Hyderabad, the recently opened Aparna Multiplex announced that it would be showing a total of 47 screenings of the movie ‘Kalki’ on its first day. Additionally, they declared that all tickets for these shows had already been sold. They also released a special poster related to this event, which is now going viral online. Some posts are highlighting that this level of excitement is typical for a Prabhas movie.
