In a recent interview, Shobu Yarlagadda, the producer of the mighty Baahubali franchise, made interesting comments about ticket prices and footfalls. The Baahubali franchise, led by Prabhas, has collected over Rs. 2400 crores, with the second part alone contributing around Rs. 1800 crores.
Shobu Yarlagadda said, “If you look at the admissions (number of tickets sold), Baahubali 2 sold more than 10 crore tickets. During its release, the ticket price was capped at Rs. 125. The footfalls of the recent mega-blockbusters, including RRR and KGF 2, couldn’t come close to our film. They both had 50% of Baahubali 2’s admissions.
Shobu Yarlagadda added, “Upcoming films might touch Baahubali 2 revenue because now the ticket prices are capped at Rs. 300. In terms of admissions, Baahubali 2 stands next to Sholay. Amitabh Bachchan’s film sold around 13 crore tickets. Back in the Sholay days, cinema was the only form of entertainment.”
Shobu Yarlagadda’s statement raises concerns over the reduced footfalls and calls for more affordable ticket pricing. The exorbitant ticket fares for all event and tentpole films lately have become a huge burden for audiences. The ever-growing OTT trend is further diminishing the theater-going culture. It remains to be seen whether there will be any sort of correction within the industry.
