Will Omicron cast a shadow over the box office releases?

Hyderabad: Just recently, Rajamouli stated that it would be unethical on his part to postpone his magnum opus ‘RRR’ — especially after makers of films like ‘Sarkaru Vaari Pata’, ‘F3’, and ‘Bheemla Nayak’ gave way to him. However, in no time, he had to backtrack on his promise. Now, with Rajamouli announcing postponement of ‘RRR’ […]

Hyderabad: Just recently, Rajamouli stated that it would be unethical on his part to postpone his magnum opus ‘RRR’ — especially after makers of films like ‘Sarkaru Vaari Pata’, ‘F3’, and ‘Bheemla Nayak’ gave way to him. However, in no time, he had to backtrack on his promise. Now, with Rajamouli announcing postponement of ‘RRR’ release, owing to closing of theatres in many States, looks like it will be a tough going for the film industry facing the stark reality of Covid-19.

Releases from the previous year have given renewed hope for the big films that have been lined up for release in 2022. However, there’s an apparent unease seemingly staring at the box office business – one with Covid-19 spreading its tentacles with its new variant Omicron, and the other with the ticket pricing in both Andhra Pradesh and in Telangana.

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Theatres in triple digits are likely to go defunct in Andhra Pradesh if low ticket fares continue to persist. Contrary to this, some theatres in Telangana are making a killing by hiking ticket fares as much as Rs 295 per show following the State government’s nod. The immediate effect is that footfall in theatres dwindled. President of Telangana Film Chamber of Commerce Sunil K Narang, rued how a few theatre owners have been misusing the Telangana government’s flexible pricing GO leaving a hole in audiences’ pockets. While such issues bother the industry, Omicron is another serious concern for films in the days to come.

Both big flicks ‘Pushpa’ and ‘Akhanda’ which released recently have revived the hopes of box office sentiment for film producers. But the unavoidable question for the makers of big films coming out this Sankranti is – do they really have plan B? With a surge in new cases of Omicron, States like Karnataka, Kerala and Uttarakhand have already imposed night curfew to curtail the spread.

Restrictions on seat occupancy and number shows per day amidst safety protocols, might affect the revenues of film screening for the fourth show. Meanwhile, Prabhas’s ‘Radhe Shyam’, Vijay Deverakonda’s ‘Liger’ and Alia Bhatt’s ‘Gangubai Kathiawadi’ which have pan-India presence, were all scheduled to be released in January and February.

Although OTT emerged as another big alternative for producers to release their films, those with massive budgets of more than Rs 100 crore can’t opt for streaming platforms to release their films. Leave alone profits, releasing films that are made on such a big scale will not even recover losses. We’ll have to wait and watch how big players play the game cautiously in the face of danger.

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