Theatres to open soon but will new films release? What Tollywood insiders said

Though the Union government has said that theatres can be reopened soon with safety guidelines in place, Tollywood producers are not in a rush to release films in 2020. The guidelines specify a maximum of 50 percent occupancy for theatres and this, many feel, will not be enough for a film to make its money back.

 

According to reports, films such as Naga Chaitanya and Sai Pallavi's Love Story, Panjaa Vaisshnav Tej and Krithi Shetty's Uppena, Ram and Nivetha Pethuraj's Red, Anushka Shetty and Madhavan's Nishabdham, Raj Tharun and Hebah Patel's Orey Bujjigaa were among the films that were supposed to release in theatres this year. However, due to the COVID-19 situation, theatres have been closed for about six months now and films like Nishabdham and Orey Bujjigaa have chosen to release on Over-the-Top platforms. Further, the shooting of many major movies came to a halt even before the lockdown in March and these films are yet to be completed. 

 

Producers feel that it would be a risk to release films in theatres since they cannot predict the audience's pulse. "It's better to postpone movie releases even if the film is ready. What do we do if the audience doesn't come to watch our movie? It's a big question mark," producer C Kalyan told TNM.

He added that even in normal circumstances, the collection of a blockbuster is limited to the first week.

"How do we release a movie with only 50 percent capacity and wait for the audience to come?" asked the producer who is also a member of the Telugu Film Chamber of Commerce.

Theatre owners say that even if they open theatres now, it would only be to test the audience's willingness to venture out and watch a film. Until they're sure about the audience turning up, they plan to play old Telugu and English movies.

"It's a trial and error method. We want to keep the wheel moving, so we may play Avatar in 3D or some other movie that people would want to watch in theatres," Balgovind Raju, owner of Sudarshan Theatre in Hyderabad, said.

Meanwhile, big budget films like RRR which are likely to be crowd-pullers, have been delayed due to the lockdown.

Speaking to TNM, producer D Suresh Babu said, "Even if theatres open, there are no major movies ready for release. That's the saddest part. Several films are yet to be completed and may not release before January next year."

However, film critics feel that if the public's response is enthusiastic, small films like Uppena, Red and others may release by December this year. These films have not announced OTT release so far.

A few films like Pawan Kalyan's Vakeel Saab, Akhil Akkineni and Pooja Hegde's Most Eligible Bachelor, Nithiin and Keerthy Suresh's Rang De, and Naga Chaitanya and Sai Pallavi's Love Story are in the last phases of shooting, and are expected to be released for Sankranti next year.