Paid premieres in the Telugu States a day before the release of movies have become a trend in 2023. 'Baby', 'SIR', 'Balagam', 'Keedaa Cola', 'Writer Padmabhushan', 'Mangalavaaram', 'Aadikeshava', and 'Martin Luther King' were among the movies that premiered to the general public and the media before their release date in select locations and theatres. A few of them benefited a great deal from the practice.
The trend is here to stay. Production houses like Sithara Entertainments, Sri Venkateswara Creations and Suresh Productions are going to continue the practice to blunt the impact of unfavorable reviews coming from US-based portals and YouTube channels.
The same has been confirmed by producer S Naga Vamsi. "The idea is to negate the impact of US reviews," he added.
The strategy will be intensified in 2024, especially with medium-range movies. Small-scale movies like 'Mr. Pregnant' failed to benefit from early shows. The year is coming to an end with a few paid shows of 'Bubblegum'.
