As OTT continues to eat away theatre revenue, the Telugu Film Producers Council, as expected, imposed a mandatory 50-day theatrical window. This is a relief for filmmakers and distributors because it allows them to generate revenue from theatres at the outset. People are no longer going to see movies in theatres, even if the film is good because it will be streaming on OTT in a matter of days. This happened with ‘Ante Sundarniki’ and a few other low-budget films; even big-budget films like ‘Bheemla Nayak’ and ‘Sarkaaru vaari Paata’ failed to meet box-office expectations due to the OTT factor.
Overall, this is a positive change that will apply to all Telugu films that sign a digital distribution agreement beginning July 1, 2022.