Telugu film industry is the first film to recover after the COVID first wave. The industry has witnessed quite a good number of hits with even average films becoming profitable ventures. Things turned topsy-turvy after the second wave. Audiences are reluctant to come to theaters fearing a third wave.
But then, a small hope sprouted out of nowhere when Seetimaar which released on Friday got a superb opening. Immediately after looking at the collections of the noon shows, the makers of Naga Chaitanya’s Love Story announced their release date on September 24th.
Seetimaar opening has given hope that the audience, particularly the masses, have started coming to theaters. But then, it all lasted just like a dream. The movie collections have dipped right from the second day itself and the Saturday – Sunday numbers are very worrying.
For instance, the Krishna district collections of Seetimaar on Sunday are just around 9 Lakhs. Even the better talk could not change the film’s fortunes. It looks like Seetimaar opening is due to the festival’s impact. After commiting to the release, Love Story makers are now very worried.
As it appears, the problem with Tollywood is that only a small section of the audience are watching films in the theaters. After the first wave, more and more audiences would add to every movie which improved the situation as days passed by. But new audiences are not adding now.
As things stand now, only the films with around 10 Crore Budgets can think of releasing, with the major onus of recovery on the non-theatrical rights. Now the entire industry would watch Love Story closely, if the same trend reflects, the other biggies should rethink their release plans.
