Nine-Hit Streak Revives Telugu Cinema’s Theatrical Fortunes

Telugu cinema is witnessing a remarkable box-office revival, with nine films emerging as hits in recent months after a prolonged slump caused partly by the rise of OTT platforms.

The successful run includes Suriya’s Veerabhadrudu and Vishwanath & Sons, Ram Charan’s Peddi, Samantha’s Maa Inti Bangaram, Akhil Akkineni’s Lenin, Kiran Abbavaram’s Chennai Love Story, Varun Tej’s Korean Kanakaraju, DC starring Lokesh Kanagaraj, and Ravi Teja’s Irumudi.

This streak provides a massive boost to Telugu exhibitors and theater owners, temporarily putting an end to industry demands for a theater percentage system.

Producer Supriya Yarlagadda is delighted by the comeback. “Rooted stories and affordable tickets have propelled the recent return to theatres. It would be fantastic if theatres could offer affordable popcorn as well, to boost this further.”

Producer Shobu Yarlagadda is equally gung-ho: “It proves that a movie that connects with the audience has an audience in theatres. The onus is on us as an industry to make films that audiences love and appreciate. Irumudi being the latest example!”

Producer Dil Raju believes content is king. “All these successes contain strong, family-driven content. Give the audience a reason to come, and they will go to movie theatres.”

Producer Allu Aravind believes that audiences are rediscovering the magic of the big screen. “The OTT craze that peaked around 2021 is clearly settling down, and many of the projections made at that time about its extraordinary growth have proved to be overstated. Audiences are rediscovering the excitement of watching films collectively in a theatre. This is particularly evident with successful large-scale films — not necessarily with big stars, but films presented as a genuine big-screen experience and also irresistible content.”

But filmmaker Ram Gopal Varma isn’t ready to declare a new golden age just yet. “It is all a phase. So many family films in recent times have flopped, including The Family Star, Thammudu, and Guntur Kaaram. Samantha’s film is a hit. That doesn’t mean every heroine fighting in a saree will work. I think the key is novelty in the story. Repetition is death.”