Andhra Pradesh Chief Minister YS Jaganmohan Reddy issued an ultimatum about the ticket prices and a new GO was released overnight. Along with the film fraternity, the common man was surprised with new ticket pricing in the state. The film industry tried hard to get the GO revised but it did not happen. The theatres in Telangana are reopened with 100 percent occupancy, flexible ticket pricing and parking charges are reintroduced for single screens. But in Andhra Pradesh, selected theatres are reopened with 50 percent occupancy. As there is a night curfew imposed, there is only permission to screen three shows in a day.
The footfalls on day one are pathetic. Thimmarasu received a positive response and the film picked up by evening shows. Ishq received poor response and the collections dropped down badly. AP theatre industry is currently running in huge crisis and it’s time for the government to stand as support before most of the single screens get converted into function halls and warehouses. With the night curfew extended in AP, there would be no prominent releases in August. For now, the film industry has to wait for more time to screen renowned films.
