On the instructions of the Telangana Government, all the film theaters in the state were shut down till the 31st of this month. Telugu film industry is hoping that the normalcy will be restored at least from April 1st. As of now, only Nani and Sudheer Babu’s V and Raj Tharun’s Orey Bujjiga release got impacted.
Even if normalcy restores in India, a bigger mess awaits Tollywood. Popular Theater Chains, AMC and Regal have shut down their entire chains starting from 17th. AMC had hinted about a shutdown of Six to Twelve weeks while Regal closed down the theaters until further notice.
The US is in a complete mess with over 5,600 cases and 95 deaths. Things are many times worse there when compared to India and there are reports that normalcy is not expected any sooner. If at all, 12 weeks shutdown happens, the entire US market will be a washout for the Indian Summer season.
The filmmakers have to forego the US market or lose the Summer holidays advantage in both the Telugu States. This is the case if normalcy restores in India. If not, it will be a disaster for Tollywood this Summer. As many as a dozen and half films are looking to release in the Indian Summer.
