OTT space continues to hamper the theatrical collections in Sandalwood, which is gearing up for big-budget releases in the coming days.
Though over 60 films released since 1 January, Sandalwood is yet witness its first box office hit. (Twitter)
Ask any hard-core Kannada movie buff exactly how many movies have so far been released in 2023 and he/she would surely remain baffled for some time.
Reason: Several movies were under production before and during the pandemic, and to a great extent after the lockdowns. As a result, 6-10 movies are now hitting the screens every week.
Some of these theatrical releases received critical applause for their unique content and entertainment value. However, only a couple of projects — especially those involving star heroes — managed to barely survive at the box office.
In a nutshell, Sandalwood is yet to record its first superhit film for 2023!
A advertisement from the makers of ‘South Indian Hero’ regarding a slash in the ticket rates in theatres. (Supplied)
Movies like Mandala: The UFO Incident, 19.20.21, South Indian Hero, and Hondisi Bareyiri were appreciated for entertainment, sensible content and making. However, despite all the good reports, they struggled to attain a break-even at the box office.
“We hosted an exclusive premier show in North Karnataka where we got a genuinely overwhelming response. Then, we organised one for ace filmmakers and artists in Sandalwood, including Real Star Upendra sir. The feedback was more than what we expected,” said South Indian Hero director HN Naresh Kumar.
Even the media rated the flick excellent. However, despite the great response, the theatres witnessed low footfalls and South Indian Hero failed to meet the makers’ expectations.
“My first two films, which also starred a relatively newcomer in the lead, were well-received and did good business,” Naresh Kumar said, referring to his super hit films First Rank Raju and Raju Kannada Medium.
After a detailed analysis, Naresh Kumar realised that the emergence of the OTT space during the Covid-19 lockdowns has affected the audience turnout in cinema halls.
Jagadeesh, a film distributor, observed that the audience became accustomed to watching newly-released movies on OTT platforms and is visiting theatres only to watch movies that offer mass entertainment.
“Shah Rukh Khan’s Pathaan is the best example of a mass entertainer. Darshan’s Kranti initially fared well at the box office but lost the heat eventually. Sadly, no other good movies sustained for long in Sandalwood in the recent past,” he pointed out.
T 4574 – Happy to present to you .. the trailer of “Underworld Ka Kabzaa” .. a film produced by my dear friend @anandpandit63 and directed by @rchandru_movies ..
All the best to @nimmaupendra, @NimmaShivanna, @KicchaSudeep & @shriya1109https://t.co/8szKCvvKvf#KabzaaTrailer
— Amitabh Bachchan (@SrBachchan) March 4, 2023
Coming back to South Indian Hero, the director recently issued an advertisement saying that they have slashed the movie ticket price to ₹60.
“Having understood the reason behind the audience not turning up to watch our movie in theatres, we decided to decrease the ticket price. Well, the move did draw crowds to the cinema halls to some extent,” Naresh Kumar explained.
He also revealed his plans to release South Indian Hero in other languages in the coming weeks.
#film192021 is releasing in eight centres across UK from 17th March 2023. Visit @ODEONCinemas and @cineworld websites to book your tickets. #MustWatch movie from the award winning director @mansore25 that has received great reviews! #Satyahegdestudios #Dcreations @KFITREND pic.twitter.com/GVXAu4Tod4
— KUK Talkies (@kuk_talkies) March 13, 2023
Former Karnataka Film Chamber of Commerce (KFCC) and Kannada Film Exhibitors’ Association head KV Chandrashekhara concurred that decreasing the ticket rates is one of the oldest methods and there are numerous instances in the film industry where it worked in favour of the filmmakers.
It all depends on how the makers and the exhibitors come to terms with the changes in ticket pricing.
“In some cases, the ticket rate is kept at a bare minimum. This is usually done when a film has had a tremendous run at the box office and the makers want to attract the repeat audience to the theatres,” he said.
Also, senior filmmakers have time and again stressed that there has to be a time gap fixed for releasing new movies in the OTT space. However, this has not been the case as it has been the prerogative of producers and the OTT platforms following their agreements.
With big films like Kabzaa, Hoysala, Martin, Bad Manners, and Raghavendra Stores lined up for release in the coming weeks, Sandalwood is hopeful of bringing audiences back to the theatres for its glorious days at the box office.
ಗುರುದೇವ್ ಹೊಯ್ಸಳ ನಿಮ್ಮ ಮುಂದೆ🙏#EeSalaHoysala
“A Glimpse of Gurudev”:https://t.co/p5ucEpDJvG#Hoysala @Dhananjayaka @VKiragandur @KRG_Studios @amrutha_iyengar @vijaycinephilia @Karthik1423 @yogigraj @AJANEESHB pic.twitter.com/SxbY8FahTq
— Gurudev Hoysala (@Dhananjayaka) February 5, 2023
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