Netizens Sympathize With Rogue Piracy Sites Amid Exorbitant Ticket Rates
This trend is not limited to Andhra Pradesh and Telangana; even in the United States, Telugu film ticket prices have shot up dramatically, touching 25 to 40 dollars, making a simple movie outing unaffordable for many families.
Despite its involvement in illegal piracy, the social media support pouring in for rogue website iBomma has become both surprising and unfortunate. Tollywood bigwigs claim that a considerable number of people, directly or indirectly, have begun defending the iBomma website owner, arguing that Telugu film producers have grown increasingly greedy by burdening audiences with exorbitant ticket prices. This trend is not limited to Andhra Pradesh and Telangana; even in the United States, Telugu film ticket prices have shot up dramatically, touching 25 to 40 dollars, making a simple movie outing unaffordable for many families.
“Social media is supporting piracy for a reason, though I personally don't support it,” says producer Chadalavada Srinivasa Rao, pointing out that steep ticket prices have alienated lower and middle-class moviegoers, who now express sympathy toward piracy platforms. He welcomes the arrest of the iBomma operator and appreciates the ongoing police investigation. At the same time, he stresses that both Andhra Pradesh and Telangana governments must curb rampant black-ticketing, which has become a parallel menace.
In recent times, big-ticket films such as Salaar, Game Changer, Pushpa: The Rule, Kalki 2898 AD, Hari Hara Veera Mallu, and OG witnessed ticket prices soaring from 400 to 1,000 rupees per head. Shockingly, some distributors reportedly sold 600–800 rupee tickets for as high as 5,000 rupees, exploiting fan frenzy during early shows.
“If piracy is illegal, selling tickets in black is equally illegal,” Srinivasa Rao asserts. He urges the government to intervene and save an industry already facing a drastic dip in theatre viewership across Telugu states. When state governments permit ticket hikes that already exceed reasonable limits, allowing distributors to loot gullible fans—sometimes collecting up to 20 crore rupees just through benefit shows—becomes unacceptable. He emphasizes that films should earn revenue through their natural run, like the Sankranthiki Vasthunam and small film 'Little Hearts' which made huge money on low ticket prices, rather than squeezing fans during the first few days.
He also claims that certain rogue sites allegedly accessed a copy of Pushpa: The Rule on its release day but postponed uploading it for a week out of what he describes as “a sense of morality,” knowing that immediate piracy would severely harm producers and distributors.
Looking ahead, he urges Telugu superstars to take profit-sharing models instead of massive upfront remunerations. “Shah Rukh Khan earned handsomely by taking a share of profits in Pathaan and Jawan. I wish Telugu stars would also prefer ‘share’ over ‘pay’, reduce production costs, and save the industry from sinking,” he concludes.
