Stuck in a rut

Ramesh's Venkata in Sankata managed to recover the money invested in the film. Sudeep's Veera Madakari also received a good opening, but the film's collections dropped after the first three days.

It is said that producers and distributors have lost over Rs 60 crore so far. The current situation is so bad that even the financers are wary of investing money in the market. After continuous losses, distributors are not willing to risk their money on big budget star movies.

It is also said that most of the films are released directly by the producers these days and many April-May releases are lying unsold as there are no buyers, say industry sources.

Industry woes

Video piracy and the hike in ticket rates are also said to have affected the film industry. The weekly rents of theatres have doubled, but the collections have remained the same and have not increased proportionately.

Many industry people feel that unless and untill there is reduction in theatre rentals and ticket rates, it would be very difficult for the producers and distributors to cope with the situation.

Summer has always been the best season for big budget films because people want to watch blockbusters along with their families. And all the filmmakers and stars want their films to hit the theatres at this time to get maximum revenues. Now, with elections and IPL cricket frenzy on the anvil, the peak summer season is turning out to be a low-key affair with filmmakers preferring to keep away from new releases.

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