It is going to be star war this Sankranti, with three superstars battling it out at the box office. With so much at stake, distributors and exhibitors want to get their returns at the earliest by releasing the movies in as many theatres as possible.
There are close to 2,200 theatres in Telangana and Andhra Pradesh, excluding the multiplexes.
It is a challenge for both distributors and theatre managements to screen all movies in a particular period of time, as everyone would be vying to get returns for their investments.
Meanwhile, theatre managements and distributors have come up with an innovative model of screening movies in as many theatres as possible. To begin with, movies are being released with a gap of one day to ensure the cushion of screening in more theatres.
Furthermore, theatre managements and distributors will enter into an agreement over screening of movies. For instance, if a superstar’s movie is released on January 13, majority of theatres will screen it on the first day, facilitating people to watch it without any hassles.
Subsequently, if another movie is released on January 14, then theatres will screen that movie for the day. Later, on January 15, following the release of a new film, that particular movie will be screened.
“However, theatre managements will enter into an agreement with the distributors to screen a particular movie [among those released during the three days] for a week or a month, depending on the terms of the agreement and performance of the film at the box office,” explains a senior member of the A.P. Film Chamber of Commerce.
This will help exhibitors screen their movies in as many theatres, while theatre managements will also be assured of good collections. It will be a win-win situation for both parties, he says. “Gone are the days when a film’s success was judged on the number of days screened. These days, it is all about screening a movie in more theatres and trying to get returns as early as possible,” he adds.
This is a welcome move, particularly with the advent of technology and the fear of pirated copies entering the market within days of a film’s release.
