The Two Sides Of Fan Wars On Numbers

Is sharing box office numbers on social media a bad thing? Of course, producers of Telugu cinema believe that sharing box office numbers would encourage those who haven’t watched the film to go to theatres immediately. That’s why we see ads like ‘First Weekend 108 Crores’, such that FOMO will develop, and those who haven’t seen the film will rush to theatres. However, these numbers are creating unwanted fights on the internet between rival fans.

In the name of admiring their heroes, some fans kickstart a war, saying how much their hero’s film has collected, and how other heroes’ films failed to beat that. People dig into various other numbers, do their own analyses, hurl abuses at each other, call names, use derogatory words to demean others, insult the other heroes and much more. Though some fans took this to the notice of their respective heroes, what can they even do? Only if producers stop sharing numbers will these fans or audiences stop dissecting them like that. For that, the producers are not ready as they feel that sharing numbers of collections is an age-old trend, and has existed at least since the 70s. So, should the audience themselves realise the unimportance of fighting for these numbers?

The audience, who also happen to be those indulging in online wars about stars, their stats, and also staying neutral when it comes to talking about good content, are saying that this is not an unhealthy discussion. They feel that when producers have the right to go to Courts to stop reviewers from posting their opinions on social media, the audience has the right to discuss and dissect the box office numbers, as the ones who proudly purchased a ticket and filled the coffers of producers.