Ticket Prices for Telugu Films

In recent times, going to the theaters and watching a big movie has become a burden for the common family. The reason behind the skyrocketing ticket prices is the reason given by the producers – “Grandier movie and huge production cost”. But deep down, this is just a mask. Instead of spending on visual effects and grand settings, the lion’s share of the film’s budget is allocated to the remuneration of the hero and the director. When you spend your hard earned money and buy a ticket, the disappointment is indescribable if the movie doesn’t deliver the right amount of entertainment. In fact, the real reason behind these huge prices is the huge demands of the stars, rather than the passion for the production.

Bitter truths:

Fan wars on social media are making the situation worse. Fans are proudly promoting that their favorite actor is getting the highest salary in the industry by saying “One hundred crores for our hero.. Seventy crores for your hero”. But, they fail to notice that these huge numbers will increase the ticket price they buy tomorrow. The preference given by the producers to the heroes depends on their box office stamina, no doubt. But, when it exceeds a certain limit, the burden indirectly falls on the viewer. It is these rewards that the fans boast of that are pushing the film industry into crisis today.

Once a crazy combination is set, rewards are demanded regardless of market calculations. For example, if a star hero asks for Rs. 140 crores and the director asks for Rs. 100 crores, before the shooting starts, only Rs. 250 crores have to be spent. If production costs and interest are added to this, the budget is out of control by the time the film is released. The producer sells the film to distributors at huge rates to recover his investment. Distributors, on their part, are appealing to the government to increase ticket rates. That is, the common audience has to sacrifice their needs and buy a ticket for the lavish rewards of the heroes.

Remedy:

Change is inevitable for the industry to stay healthy. If the top heroes have real love for their fans, they should reduce the rewards. As many great men have done in the past, ‘Profit Sharing’ should be followed. This reduces the burden on the producer and the rest of the money can be spent on the quality of the film. Also, the producers should also stop pampering the stars too much and learn to say “no” to unreasonable demands. Only then will ticket prices become accessible to the common man and cinema will once again become the cheapest form of entertainment available to all.