Telugu film production has been halted since the first of August of this year. After more than 15 days, it is now being said that Tollywood movie production will restart by next week. Additionally, it is said that the Film Chamber and Active Producers Guild have resolved that no actor would longer be entitled to day-by-day compensation as was formerly the case. The 8-week window for any project’s OTT distribution is also thought to have been agreed upon, meaning that no movie will be distributed on the OTT platform before 8 weeks have passed after its theatrical premiere.
For those who don’t know, the decision to temporarily halt the filming was made since the film’s production costs have increased significantly recently while its box office performance has reached a new low. After the COVID-19 outbreak, audiences stopped going to the theaters because of the expensive tickets. The Producers Council has suggested lowering the cost of tickets from Rs 100 to Rs 70 in ordinary theatres and from Rs 150 to Rs 120, inclusive of GST, for multiplexes. Nothing, though, has been declared official as of yet.
The press note read, “Post-Pandemic with the changing revenue situations and increasing costs, it has become important for producers to discuss all the issues we are facing as a community of filmmakers. It is our responsibility to better our ecosystem and ensure that we are releasing our films in a healthy environment. In this regard, all produce members of the Guild have voluntarily decided to withhold shootings from August 1st, 2022 to sit in discussions until we find workable resolutions.”
