After not-so-impressive 2023, Tollywood producers and distributors are eagerly awaiting Sankranthi releases to make some good money and kick-start 2024 on a positive note. With big-ticket films like ‘Guntur Kaaram’, ‘Saindhav’, ‘Naa Saami Ranga,’ ‘Eagle’ and ‘Hanu-Man’ set for a clash at ticket windows starting from January 12 and the next three days thereafter, distributors are keeping their fingers crossed. “More than Rs 250 crores are riding on festival movies and many are hoping to mint gold at the box office during fPongal holidays,” says a leading distributor and adds, “Mahesh Babu film leads the pack with Rs 100 crore business, followed by movies of Venkatesh, Nagarjuna, Ravi Teja and Hanu-Man which together are valued at over Rs 150 crores, so January 2024 begins with a bang,” he adds.
With just 1200-odd theatres available in the states of Telangana and Andhra Pradesh, producers are holding discussions to space out the release of their films. “Without crunching the collections, star-studded films have to be spaced out and giving good time for each film to draw big openings,” he points out. He admits that the success of a film largely depends on the novelty of the content and narration. "Cliched fare will suffer but stars have to be given some time to draw in initial crowds and then the audience could decide the fate of the movie," he adds.
No doubt, producer-turned-distributor, Dil Raju has high stakes in Sankranthi releases since he is distributing three out of five movies including 'Guntur Kaaram,' 'Naa Saami Ranga' and 'Saindhav' in the Nizam region. “Not only Dil Raju but even other producers and distributors want to resolve this stalemate and plan releases accordingly. Loads of money is riding on these big-ticket movies and avoiding clash would be a good option,” he informs.
He claims that the Sankranthi festival is massive for Tollywood films to make money. "Sankranthi festival is big for Telugu people in both states since they love to watch movies during the 4-day festival. Unlike in Tamil Nadu, where Diwali is considered a big festival for Tamil filmmakers," he concludes.
