Box Ofice

Given the overwhelming reaction from viewers thus far, Tollywood production companies are transforming not just recently released films but also older films whose prints are exhibiting signs of wear and tear. Blockbusters that were previously released are re-issued for just a handful of performances after being updated with the most recent technology. Given the overwhelming response from the viewers thus far, this trend has the possibility of adding a little life to gray theatrical days. Instead of buying tickets in person, more people use online booking services like BookMyShow.

The 16-year-old Mahesh Babu film Pokiri, which was recently restored and brought back in high-definition digital format in America, has set off the trend. The producers were astounded by the response when pre-bookings went live since the tickets were completely sold out in just an hour. So they made the decision to attempt it in India. On August 9—Mahesh Babu’s birthday—the 2006 film, with Ileana D’Cruz as the female protagonist, was re-released in India. Soon after, the creators of the 2008 film Jalsa, featuring Pawan Kalyan and Ileana, did the same. On the 1st of September, Jalsa had a new release and two days of spectacular performances.

While fan events originally began as special movies on popular performers’ birthdays, they have evolved to a relatively low-cost source of possible income for cinemas. Remastering a movie apparently costs between Rs 5-8 lakh, but the rewards are supposedly enormous, with re-released films raking in crores. Pokiri generated over Rs 1.75 crore from 320 performances in a single day, but Jalsa made roughly Rs 3.25 or higher crore from 500+ performances over the course of two days. According to information from fan clubs, the proceeds from both films were donated to a good cause. Based on reports, classic movies like Chiranjeevi’s Indra, Jagadeka Veerudu Athiloka Sundari, Jr. NTR’s Simhadri, Alluri Seetharamaraju’s Simhasanam, Mahesh Babu’s Athadu, Khaleja, and Venkates’ Kshana Kshanam are among those scheduled for re-release in the future.