In the current theatrical market of Telugu films, the USA territory is as important and weighed upon as the customary Nizam, Ceded, UA circuits. The USA box office is a major contributing factor for every star hero and mid-range film. Any film that doesn’t have USA premieres is looked down upon. In such a crucial juncture of such a penultimate market, USA distributors are ever so prevalent. Here’s a look at the body of work of top distribution houses associated with Tollywood in no particular order.
Sarigama Cinemas
They’ve specialized in releasing big event films and carved a niche for themselves in marketing & promotions. They scored a monstrous blockbuster with RRR which went on a smashing run in the USA. They also released KGF 2 and PS 1, along with 6 other films.
Radha Krishna Entertainments
They’ve had a good volume of mid-range releases this year. The list includes Yashoda, Sita Ramam, DJ Tillu and others. They’ve released as many as 21 films this year and have the highest volume of releases. No other distributor had ever distributed 21 films in a year and this is a record for any distribution house.
FlyHigh Cinemas
Their talismanic release this year is Sarkaru Vaari Paata. Apart from the Mahes Babu starrer, they’ve released four other films including Oke Oka Jeevitham, First Day First Show and Macherla Niyojakavargam. Oke Oka Jeevitham stands out as a critically acclaimed and also had a decent pull in the U.S. Box-office.
Shloka Entertainments
They’ve had five releases this year and their biggest hit is Kalyan Ram’s Bimbisara. They also released The Warriorr, The Ghost, Aa Ammayi Gurinchi Meeku Cheppali and Sarkaru Vaari Paata in partnership with FlyHigh Cinemas. Bimbisara stands out as a unique content film. Shloka left heads turning in the distribution circles when they lined up all three big films that open for Sankranti 2023 (Waltair Veerayya, Veera Simha Reddy and Varisu). A feat never happened in the past.
Other distribution houses like Weekend Cinema (Major, Good Luck Sakhi), Red Heart (Karthikeya 2, Saakini Daakin, Dhamaka), Prime Media (GodFather, F3, HIT 2, Ante Sundaraniki, Bheemla Nayak), Great India Films (Radhe Shyam, Virgin Story), Nirvana (Rowdy Boys, Mishan Impossible) and Phars Film LLC have also made their presence felt.
What awaits these USA distribution houses in 2023 is more exciting as several big-ticket Telugu films featuring top stars head for release. The race starts with Veera Simha Reddy and Waltair Veerayya coming to Sankranthi.
