Tollywood faces crisis, theatrical business sees a downfall

The box office can be highly unpredictable. Sometimes, even superhit films struggle to recover their production costs, while some flop films manage to break even. This unpredictability is often attributed to the pre-release business deals.

In recent times, the landscape of the Andhra Pradesh and Telangana theater business has witnessed significant changes. While blockbuster movies still exist, the average earnings at the box office, even for films featuring the biggest stars, have dwindled.

Distributors appear cautious and are not willing to invest in new record prices, even for pan-Indian big-budget productions like Salaar. This film, featuring Prabhas in the lead role and directed by the highly-regarded Prashanth Neel, generated substantial anticipation. However, it didn't break any records in its pre-release business deals in Andhra Pradesh and Telangana. Comparatively, RRR, which released shortly after the COVID-19 pandemic, set much higher pre-release business standards.

It's projected that Salaar might conclude its theatrical business in Andhra Pradesh and Telangana at around 170 crore rupees, which is 40 crore less than the earnings of RRR.

A similar situation may be observed for Guntur Kaaram. Industry analysts suggest that distributors might be reluctant to invest substantial sums in Mahesh Babu and Trivikram's film before its theatrical release, particularly due to the stiff competition during the Sankranthi festival.

The caution displayed by distributors and buyers in making significant payments is attributed to the disappointing returns from several big films in recent months. This underscores the inherent unpredictability of the box office, which can be influenced by various factors, making it a challenging landscape to navigate.

-by Vishnupriya