Speaking to a senior journalist, D Suresh Babu has said that the film business has hit a new low this year. "November and early December are slack seasons. But this year has seen all-time low collections. Across all centres, theatres are not able to pay rents. The economy is poor, OTT platforms like Netflix are making a big impact, and the poor content of films, in general, is also a factor," he analyzes, speaking to TS Sudhir.

As per the producer-distributor, things are really bad like never before. "Many theatres are not able to run shows in a full-fledged way. A sizeable chunk of audience don't want to go to theatres, unless you are talking about spectacles like 'Sye Raa' and 'Saaho'. Cinema has become a weekend business or a holiday business," he comments.

"We have come down to 1750 theatres from 3000 screens in the early 2000s in the united Andhra Pradesh. In every small town, about 50% of theatres have been shut down. Rural women are not going to cinemas," he adds.

He suggested that 'Venky Mama' will hit the screens on December 13.