So, all the speculations come to an end now. An official announcement has been made regarding the release of RRR with a brand new poster featuring both the stars Jr NTR and Ram Charan. The SS Rajamouli directorial will hit screens worldwide on October 13 for the big Dussera holidays’ period.
Now that the release date is officially out and it is Dussera, one can’t help but feel if the makers of RRR are taking a risk. A Sankranthi release, when announced previously, was greeted with a unanimously positive response. However, the same is not true with the latest date. And there is a reason for it.
In the past many years, Dussera in Telugu film industry has not yielded blockbuster results. Many biggies have arrived and opened well, but they couldn’t sustain beyond the holidays.
One could argue that better movies didn’t arrive then and here we have SS Rajamouli after Baahubali movies. But, it still doesn’t seem enough for the impact in the long run vis a vis other seasons in TFI.
If that is the case in Telugu, the other languages come with their own share of problems.
In Tamil, Dussera is a big season and usually a biggie to two, plan for the festival release. It is the same in Hindi and Malayalam, as well.
Additionally, Hindi cinema has its dullest period for cinemas during the pre-Diwali weeks. The moviegoers don’t usually turn up in numbers after the Dussera releases. So, a long run is always doubtful.
Even in the US, there are still no signs of bouncing up. Still, October 13th is fine as it would mean coming a week after the latest James Bond flick, No Time To Die. It gap allows the (Telugu, and Indian) audience to make up their mind. It is one aspect that might work to the advantage of RRR.
Overall, considering the economics involved and the current post-pandemic recovery phase, the RRR team is taking a risk without any doubt.
All said and done; if RRR manages to live up to the hype and deliver in content, it could still put up phenomenal numbers. But will they be similar to what it could put up during a Sankranthi period is something that would be on the fan’s mind, undoubtedly.
Check out the image below. RRR features Jr NTR, Ram Charan, Alia Bhatt, Ajay Devgn and Samuthirakani in the prominent roles. SS Rajamouli directs the epic multistarrer.
