There’s a long list of releases lined up for October. Apart from it being the month of Dasara, with the Baahubali and Srimanthudu frenzy over, producers who had been holding back their big-budget films will be releasing them even though the films will be competing with each other.
“Yes, one film will eat into the other’s revenues. But filmmakers have their reasons to release in October. Some feel November is not a good month. We can tell the producers but we can’t force them to postpone,” says Suresh Babu, president of Telugu Film Chamber of Commerce.
But in the end somehow they will adjust, I don’t know how, but everyone will manage. We have to live with it,” he says. Interestingly, after Baahubali, the Telugu film industry has seen even some small films making it big. The small-budget film Kerintha became a hit followed by Cinema Choopista Mava.
Cinema Choopista Mava had been made with Rs 5 crore and collected more than '10 crore, while the Nani starrer Bhale Bhale Magadivoy, which was made with a budget of Rs 9 crore, collected more than Rs 20 crore in its first week. The film has done great business, especially overseas where it has collected nearly Rs 6 crore.
“After Baahubali, we have seen audiences coming to the theatres. As an exhibitor, we make money when some of the big films release one after the other. But if there is a big gap, the film’s revenue definitely increases and the producers should think about it,” says Sadanand Goud, who owns Arjuna and Vyjayanthi theatres.
“The issue has come up in our meetings. Earlier in the year, there was the problem of no films and now the problem is that there are plenty of films. Everyone wants to grab the festive season as many big producers are not interested in releasing during November,” says Suresh Babu. When Baahubali released, many producers had cooperated and had held back their films. Suresh Babu, meanwhile, says that it’s not just cooperation, but also fear of competition.
The October fest will start with Rudhramadevi, which producer and director Gunasekhar has said will release on October 9. Then Ram Charan’s Bruce Lee will release on October 16 followed by Akhil Akkineni’s debut film Akhil on October 21.
Apart from these, a medium-budget film, Shivam — starring Ram — will release on October 2, along with the Varun Tej starrer Kanche. Nithiin, who is producing Akhil, feels that it is not a serious problem. “Yes, I know that a week before my film, another big film is releasing.
But there is a week’s gap. Nowadays, big films are releasing in many screens and making money in the first week. So the big film will take the screens in the first week and then our film, in the next week, will take as many screens. Whichever film is good, will run long,” he says. It’s going to be a hectic month as Rs 200 crore
