A narrow lane outside the Navarang Theater in the Governor of Vijayawady was once argued by taxis and authorickshaws that brought an excited audience. On billboards, large posters captured a film occupied in the thick effect and drama, and in the air there were slight snippets of dialogues and music that vomited from the hall.
The Navarang Theater was opened in 1964, it was a cultural monument where putarists and taxi drivers were proud to watch Hindi and English films next to the city elite. Blockbusters ran for months, with their mouths who did their magic. Today, however, the theater, its empty seats and faded walls in its flourishing, have a sharp contrast to the household.
The Navarang Theater is one of the last few independently in Andhra Pradesh. Most of his contemporaries, including the first theater Maruthi Talkies, Vijaya Talkies, Sri Durg Mahal, Mohan Das, all in Vijayawada, closed, while many others either rented their theaters or rented them as real estate characteristics.
The decline began decades ago when TVs became common in homes. Then came the internet revolution, penetrating smartphone and finally OTT proliferation. It seems that, together with the “disproportionate” model sharing model between distributors and exhibitors, they finally broke the back of this once.
Rolling with strikes
For the owners of the Navarang Theater RV Bhupal Prasad, his “passion” that keeps him in business. His family owned 13 theaters, including Saraswati Talkies, Saraswati Picture Palace, Leela Mahal and Navarang throughout the state. Leela Mahal, which opened in Vijayawada in 1944, was the first Andhra Theater in Madras’s Presidency for Screening of English and Hindi films.
Old projector on the display at the Vijayawada Theater. | Photo Credit: Gn Rao
Today, it agonizes over which film is to be checked. “It’s exhausting; we don’t know which film will hit an audience. Sometimes even big tanks at the cash register and sometimes a small movie make waves,” he says.
In the research document 2021 called amplification as a pandemic effect: one screen in the country of Telugu, the authors of the SV Srinivas, the professor of literature and media studies on Azim University, Bengalur and Raghav Nanduri claims that around 90% of the andhra theater owners were rented in Andhra.
Reducing business is one of the reasons they did. “These days, pirate copies are going to the smartphone before the movie is released. Why would anyone want to cause losses? So he rents the theater to those who have it to run it. This guarantees a stable income. These days, they have a supermarket,” says a veteran. Through AP and Telangana, more than 600 are independently launched by individual screens that are bleeding money.
Srinivas, one of the authors of the research work, says leasing has helped survive the screens. “As part of the rental system, where most tenants are Bigshots in this industry, many of the only screens were reconstructed and received by multiplex feeling. However, some of them feel that small manufacturers are difficult to let their films released in theaters operated by these bigwigs.
The Sailaja Theater in Vijayawada was reconstructed in a multiplexes race to offer more equipment to the audience. | Photo Credit: Gn Rao
The veteran exhibitor explains to the expenditure that approximately 20,000 GBP per day is required to operate one screen in the city, such as Hyderabad or Visakhapatnam. In smaller cities it can be around 15,000 GBP. The energy account comes around 2.5 ₹ Lakh per month and employee salary around 1.5 ₹ Lakh. “If we get 4 £ lakh per month, we can break but rarely get it.”
While the Kamal Haasan 2022 Vikram took 7 lakh in the first week, the recent Thug Life film barely scrapped 7,000 GBP and opened the occupancy rate of 6% in his theater. “I have suffered a loss of 3 lakh in the last four months,” he adds.
Model Sharing Income
While declining traces, piracy and OTT platforms are problems that multiplexes also face, their situation is slightly better, say some owners of one screen. And there is a difference that the main interest of exhibitors comes to the forefront: model sharing.
In order to understand the income sharing model between exhibitors and distributors, it is important to know how the film distribution system works.
“The distributor’s concept has existed since the first film,” says Grandhi Viswanath, who has nine theaters with one screen throughout the state. His grandfather, GK Mangaraju, became the first distributor and exhibitor in the state in 1927, when silent films retreated with speaking. His distribution office, Poorna Pictures, is the first distribution company in the state.
“Previously, it was a healthy system. The producer would inform the distributor about the new film. The distributor would look at the cast, content and production costs and then invested in the film to buy rights. There was one distributor for the whole region for this particular film.
Because only one or two theaters screened the film, it would have a good run. A. Nagesware Rao-Starrer Ninadas ran 140 days at Vijayawad’s Maruthi Theater, and the first theater of the state opened in 1921.
Now, however, old distribution companies have been replaced by “buyers”. Mr. Srinivas and Nanduri say in their research document: “These buyers could be anyone who has the main capital to apply for distribution rights. Buyers would usually offer concurrent and speculatively for rights in one distribution territory, leading to substantial profits for large non -emphasizing stars.”
According to some film exhibitors, the entry of these buyers announced a decline in their industry. Mohan (changed name), exhibitor, says there is now a distributor for each district, and this person ensures that the film is published on all screens in this district.
“These days, each new film is mixed at the same time on all screens. When the audience spreads between so many theaters, the chances of a theater that sees home reduction; the audience emerges in the very second day,” he adds.
In addition, these days, the distributors of the new age are helping producers to finance movies with a large budget. The distributors collect half the amount required by the manufacturer from theater owners. If the film is doing well, the producers will return the deposit to distributors who will return it to the exhibitors. If the film is a flop, according to some exhibitors, exhibitors will not immediately get their money. This led to the fact that the exhibitors’ money was blocked for a long time. Depending on the location and potential of the film, the procedure can range from 5 ₹ Lakh to £ 40.
In addition to the current model sharing model, theaters have passed on one screen in the state. “Distributors decide to share income unilaterally. In the first week of the theater issue of the film, distributors either provide us with rent or percentage system, depending on what it gives them more profit. If the film is hit, the distributors give us rent.
Forward
In May, the exhibitors in Andhra Pradesh and Telangana announced that they are unable to continue to check the films. Mohan says that one of their main requirements is that the revenue for silence is shared on a percentage, such as how it is in multiplexes and other countries. “The percentage model can solve some of our problems,” he feels.
According to the research article, the theaters with one screen are still important for the cash register collections and contribute up to 60% of the income. Despite this character, no new theater with one screen has appeared in two Teluga countries in the last decade, says the veteran exhibitor.
Mr. Grandhi Viswanath feels that, together with the reworking system, the government should also allow flexible admission rates (ticket prices). Currently, ticket prices in the state are set in accordance with the government order (GO MS.NO.13) issued on March 7, 2022. In this order, the government had a fixed rate for different types of theaters in municipalities and corporations.
“Exhibitors should have a discretion to decide on the degree of acceptance (ticket) of the film depending on its potential. It will help to get more sponsorship for smaller movies,” he says.
Chandrasekhar (changed name), another exhibitor, emphasizes that the exaggerated production costs of the film lead to higher ticket prices. As soon as the viewer spends 250 GBP on a large budget movie, he doesn’t have to see another movie in the theater, say, a month. “Smaller films, published after movies with a large budget, are so often killed. Also theaters, so they do not see many traces,” he says, adding that the government should also ensure that the film is published on the OTT platform eight weeks after the theater edition.
Chandrasekhar says that theater owners like him have never called Bandh. “It is unfortunate that we have been misinterpreted; we only want to ask the government to consider our requirements for a percentage system that will allow us a certain respiratory space. After all, our goals are the same, bring the audience to theaters.”
What do distributors say
The Distributor in Visakhapatnam, who was looking for anonymity, says he’s a distributor who loses more than the exhibitor when he fails. “The rate of success these days is 6%. We invest in a movie and lose when it fails. Exhibitors have nothing to lose. They can at least benefit from parking fees. Backups with which they have to divide are immediately returned.” On the demand of exhibitors for the implementation of the percentage system (for all weeks), he said it would be disadvantageous for distributors.
In response to exhibitors’ concerns, Telugu Film Chamber, President Bharath Bhushan says distributors are also facing problems. The whole problem stems from the lack of hits in the field. “Flop Film is for all deadly button”
The Teluga Film Chamber created a committee of 30 members consisting of distributors, exhibitors and producers to develop a solution accessible to all. The message is expected soon. Bharath Bhushan says that the decision on the requirements will be taken after the meeting with the parties 23 and 24 June.
After the Deputy Minister of AP K. Pawan Kalyan emphasized the need for the right regulation of kinematological halls throughout the state and maintaining food, it fulfills the prices adequate, many hope for a positive result of these meetings.
Published – June 13, 2025 09:43 IS
