If industry sources are to be believed, the makers of ‘Pushpa The Rule’ have reportedly got permission from Telangana and Andhra Pradesh to hike ticket rates for their action films. “The ticket price would be Rs 600 per head in two Telugu states since both governments have issued a GO allowing the hike and it would be the costliest ticket price for a Telugu film,” says a top distributor, who adds. "The government orders reportedly allow a hike for just four days from Thursday (December 5) to Sunday (December 9) to draw sensational openings in two Telugu states."
Earlier, big-ticket Telugu films like “Kalki 2898 AD, ‘Salaar’ and ‘Devara’ also got permission and hiked ticket prices, and they fixed between Rs 395, Rs 403, and Rs 495 per head but this time, Pushpa The Rule breaks new ground and touches magical Rs 600 mark. “It is the highest ticket rate for a Telugu film in recent times and they want to make at least Rs 200 crore net collections in two Telugu states and set a new record,” he adds. However, the makers were a bit apprehensive about fixing a ‘fancy price’ but later resolved to go ahead due to rising expectations around the movie. ‘Allu Arjun fans are elated and going berserk to watch special shows and cough up more but makers are cautious,” he points out.
The makers wanted to sell distribution rights in Telugu states for Rs 180 crore and it would have surpassed the figure of ‘Kalki 2898 AD’ which was sold for Rs 140 crores. “Mythri Movie Makers will be releasing the film on their own if they don’t get the advance amounts to their expectations. Already, they have established a distribution network and tasted success with ‘Salaar’ and “Mathu Vadhalara 2’. They are planning to release the film in more than 800 theatres in AP and TG and run multiple shows in each theatre to cash in the craze,” he adds.
No doubt, Allu Arjun's crowd-pulling prowess would be tested with this ticket rate and also the opening collections he is going draw to outwit his arch rivals Prabhas and Jr NTR in Andhra Pradesh and Telangana, he concludes.
Surely, the game is on to show who is the biggest crowd-puller among the top six Telugu stars in two Telugu states.
