High ticket prices have discouraged family audience: Dil Raju

Dil Raju has acknowledged the growing resentment among the cine audience against the high ticket prices prevalent in Telangana. Addressing the pressing issue in his latest interview, the ace producer said that studying the data of footfalls over the past few months tells that high ticket prices are disfavoured by the family audience.

“In a family, if even one person feels that high ticket prices burn a hole in the pocket, the whole family stays away from the movie. This results in weak footfalls in theatres,” Raju, who also runs 60 theatres in Nizam territory on a lease, said. Raju, it seems, favours spike in the ticket prices in the case of big movies like ‘KGF 2’ and ‘RRR’. 

‘F3’ will be available for government-mandated ticket prices with the sole aim of attracting the family audience. 

Dil Raju added that it’s wrong to blame just the producer over high ticket prices. “Suppose, the ticket price is Rs 250. The tax amount goes to the government. From the remaining part, half the amount goes to the producer/distributor. And the rest goes to the multiplex. Single screens run on a different arrangement,” Raju said.

Raju suggested that the theatre business is not rosy. He came down heavily on the criticism that he controls the Nizam theatrical business. “Out of 450 theatres, I run only 60. If other theatre owners listen to me, it’s because of the goodwill I carry in terms of prompt settlement of dues, etc,” Raju said.