Ravi Teja’s Irumudi has turned into a massive box-office tsunami this weekend. The film is now facing capacity issues as there simply aren’t enough theatres to meet the demand.
Weekend tickets are becoming extremely difficult. In several areas, screens are being taken away from other films and added to Irumudi. Even that is not enough in B and C centers where there are fewer screens. The film is having a dream run right now.
But Yash’s Toxic is releasing on August 26, and Irumudi is expected to be affected heavily, and its run may even be cut short at some centers. In Nizam, discussions have reportedly already started about Toxic’s second-week theatre allocation. The big question is how many screens Irumudi can keep, especially in Hyderabad.
There is also a growing feeling among trade circles that Mythri Movie Makers may have made three major mistakes with Irumudi.
The first was releasing the film on Friday instead of Thursday. With such strong demand, a Thursday release could have given Irumudi one extra day to benefit from the long weekend. It could have added at least 25 crores gross to the opening-week collections.
The second was not increasing ticket prices. Even a Rs. 25 hike in Andhra Pradesh could have added considerable revenue without making the film too expensive for audiences. Given the current demand, many viewers may have been willing to pay a little extra. Instead, Irumudi went with regular ticket prices.
The third issue was the release plan in some areas, especially Vizag and the wider UA region. The film is reportedly doing extremely well wherever it has enough screens. Because of this, the limited initial release in some important markets could prove costly.
A film that is now struggling to find enough theatres could have potentially moved towards the Rs. 150-200 crore gross range with a stronger release plan, an extra opening day and controlled ticket hikes.
The next few days will decide whether Irumudi gets the screens its blockbuster run deserves or loses out because of release politics despite having the audience firmly on its side.
