₹200 ticket cap shakes Sandalwood: Can big-budget blockbusters survive?

While filmgoers cheer Karnataka’s uniform ticket pricing policy, Sandalwood’s big-budget filmmakers worry about revenue losses and are exploring a “Telugu model” for recovery.

In a landmark decision, the Karnataka government has fixed a uniform movie ticket price cap of ₹200 across the state, applicable to all theatres, single screens, multiplexes, weekdays, weekends, and even first-day shows of star-studded releases.

While the move has been welcomed by filmgoers who have long complained about exorbitant ticket prices, it has created ripples of concern within Sandalwood. Big-budget filmmakers fear significant losses as recovering massive production investments will now be a bigger challenge.

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Why producers are worried?

Kannada cinema has recently seen a surge of high-quality, high-investment projects that have attracted national attention, Kantara Chapter 1, Toxic, KD, 45, The Devil, Mark, each carrying budgets worth crores. Producers argue that theatre collections are their primary source of revenue, especially as satellite rights and OTT deals for Kannada films have started shrinking.

With the price cap in place, production houses fear that they may struggle to break even, and several major banners are reportedly preparing to take up the issue with the Karnataka Film Chamber.

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The ‘Telugu Formula’ in discussion!

Industry insiders confirm that producers are studying the Andhra Pradesh “Telugu model”, where tickets are capped at very low rates like Rs 10, but big-budget films can charge premium prices for the first three to four days of release and run additional shows. This allows quick recovery of massive budgets.

Some Kannada producers are reportedly planning to lobby the government to allow temporary price relaxation for big-ticket releases to ensure films don’t turn loss-making ventures.

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For the audience, this move spells affordable entertainment, making even multiplex outings more pocket-friendly. But for the industry, the challenge is real, balancing audience-friendly pricing with the sustainability of large-scale film productions.