For an industry once accustomed to celebrating 50-day and 100-day runs, such milestones now belong to another era.
He said this could perhaps be the first time after Covid-19 that any film industry in the country has tasted this kind of a sustained run of success.
One film has been followed by another, giving theatres sustained business and creating a sense of celebration in the industry,” said Mohan V, joint secretary of the Telugu Film Chamber of Commerce. It also shows that the theatrical experience continues to have its own value when a film connects with its audience,” he said. Filmmaker Madhura Sridhar, whose `Duet’ with Anand Devarakonda is expected to release by the end of the year, said the present run needs to be viewed against that changing benchmark. S Ramakrishna, a film enthusiast and sociopolitical analyst who watched all six films, said several of them moved away from the comfort zone of conventional Telugu cinema. They have stepped out of the comfort zone of the typical Telugu film formula, which is often built around a big star or a big director,” he said. There is a very strong movie-loving culture in both the Telugu states, and it has come back through good content-based stories,” he said.
What makes this phase noteworthy is not merely the number of films that have worked at the box office, but the fact that they have sustained theatrical interest beyond their opening weeks. At a time when audiences have become used to watching films on the web and OTT platforms, keeping footfalls going beyond opening weeks has become an increasingly uphill task for the film industry. “Six films being declared hits within just two months is a very encouraging development. What makes it significant is that these are not isolated successes. “For some time, theatrical business was under pressure as audiences had more options to watch films outside theatres. But this run has given exhibitors, distributors and filmmakers a reason to be optimistic. “Some of these films have one thing in common. “`Korean Kanakaraju’ is a completely unusual comedy cocktail. `Vishwanath and Sons’ touched on the sensitive subject of surrogacy as an option for a man who marries late in life. `Irumudi’ intelligently touched upon Telugu people’s connection with Lord Ayyappa while giving it a social touch too.
If the content is good, people, including fans, do not mind watching (in theatres),” he said. He added that audiences may also be looking to move away from the solitary experience of watching films on mobile phones and television screens. “One thing is clear: it has ended the lean run for some stars.