Dry spell in Tamil and Telugu cinema, Malayalam films play saviour hero (2024)

Chennai,UPDATED: Jun 1, 2024 11:14 IST

This year, so far, has been the worst for Tamil and Telugu cinema as less than five films have made an impact at the box office. The dry spell in Kollywood and Tollywood led to huge losses for producers and theatre owners. However, it is the re-releases and consecutive hits from the Malayalam film industry that saved the theatre business from drowning in 2024.

In fact, it would be safe to say that Malayalam cinema has been holding the fort down South. It is acting as the saviour hero.

What is lacking in Tamil, Telugu and Kannada films in 2024 when they did manage to win everyone's hearts worldwide through films like 'Vikram', 'RRR', 'KGF: Chapter 2' and 'Kantara'?

Ruban Mathivanan, owner of theatre chain 'GK Cinemas', called 2024 an alarming year for Tamil and Telugu cinema.

"In the last decade, I would call 2024 the worst year. Many cited the Lok Sabha polls, exams, IPL as reasons for the lack of big films. But, those are just lame excuses. Summer is usually the best season for big-ticket films, which bring in audiences in huge numbers. For some reason, Tamil and Telugu makers have conveniently missed out the perfect window," Ruban Mathivanan told IndiaToday.In.

Trade analyst Sreedhar Pillai, echoing Ruban's thoughts, also called it the worst year for Tamil and Telugu cinema.

"It's a never-seen-before drop this year in terms of quality films and box office numbers. April and May are usually the best months that will see multiple star-driven films in theatres. This year, we did not see any of them. They missed a golden opportunity," Pillai told IndiaToday.in.

DRY SPELL IN TAMIL, TELUGU AND KANNADA CINEMA

'HanuMan', 'Guntur Kaaram', 'Captain Miller' and 'Aranmanai 4' -- what do these films have in common?

These are just a few films that made a mark in the first five months of this year.

Kollywood and Tollywood are two of the biggest industries in terms of number of films and numbers. And to see less than five films performing well is a sad state of affairs.

What is the reason behind the films not working at the box office?

Film analyst Sreedhar Pillai attributes the dull performance of Tamil and Telugu films to two factors.

"The first reason is the content each industry puts up. I always say, content is king. This year, we did not see many interesting films in terms of content. The second reason is the spacing between film releases. 2024 saw the Tamil and Telugu industries being inconsistent in spacing out films. These days, audiences have lost the craving to step into cinema halls. Now, that the regularity of the releases of big-budget films is lost, people do not express their interest in visiting cinema halls. They are willing to wait for 28 days to watch the film on OTT," he said.

Pillai also observed that the upcoming months will be cramped with too many big-ticket films lined up for release.

"Nowadays, releasing a film is not as easy as it used to be. A film needs to have ample time for promotion. The ground reality, financial status and political climate need to be taken into account as well," Pillai added.

MALAYALAM FILMS SWOOP IN TO RESCUE THEATRES

Five months into 2024, more than five films from the Malayalam film industry have struck a chord with the audience beyond Kerala.

'Manjummel Boys', Premalu' and 'Aavesham' contributed more than Rs 500 crore worldwide. Soubin Shahir's 'Manjummel Boys', despite being a Malayalam film, was a huge hit in Tamil Nadu.

Ruban recalled that 'Manjummel Boys' ran for more than 50 days in GK Cinemas, Chennai.

"March was bearable because of 'Manjummel Boys'. Then came Fahadh Faasil's 'Aavesham', which ran for four weeks in April. Earlier, Tamil Nadu saw a healthy competition between Tamil and Telugu films. Now, Malayalam cinema has joined the league as well," Ruban exclaimed.

Sreedhar Pillai stated that Malayalam cinema is high on content. "Audience who are starving due to the lack of big-budget films took a liking to Malayalam films. 'Manjummel Boys', 'Premalu' and 'Aavesham' saw family audiences coming in large numbers as well," he said.

Here's the trailer of 'Aavesham':

LACK OF BIG-BUDGET FILMS LEAD TO CLOSURE OF CINEMA HALLS

The vacuum created by the non-release of big-budget films was felt the most in Andhra Pradesh and Telangana. More than 300 single-screen theatres in Telangana were temporarily shut down for almost two weeks as audiences disappeared from theatres.

Veteran producer, distributor and exhibitor Suresh Babu told Deccan Chronicle that the hard decision of closing the theatres wasn't difficult to make, given the current scenario.

"Audiences have almost disappeared from theatres for quite some time, so we were left with no other choice but to shut down theatres for some time. Without even a bare minimum viewership, theatre maintenance has become tough. We had to cut down on our staff members to avoid more losses. Few theatres may open in a week or two to screen movies selectively, but I am still doubtful about this game plan," he said.

Suresh Babu also mentioned that audiences are willing to step into cinema halls to watch films that offer theatrical moments.

Pillai iterated that rising costs and inflation play a huge role in bringing people to the theatres. He said, "For a middle-class family to watch a film in a theatre, they need to shell out at least Rs 1,000 for tickets, snacks and travel. So, families these days watch them on OTT, where films are available for streaming in 28 days."

A producer, on the condition of anonymity, told IndiaToday.in, "This year, in particular, did not excite the audience at all. There is no 'RRR' or 'KGF: Chapter 2' to get the audience hyped about a film. If the content is good, then the viewers will definitely step into theatres and even opt for multiple watches. Filmmakers need to start looking for fresh and exciting stories rather than relying on just stars to lure people to theatres."

The producer also observed that 2024 saw many old films being re-released to compensate the lack of star-driven films. "Theatre owners need people, and they relied on nostalgia. Many films in Tamil and Telugu were re-released and performed better than the new movies. "

Ruban said that Thalapathy Vijay's 'Ghilli', Dhanush's '3', Suriya's 'Vaaranam Aayiram' (Surya S/O Krishnan in Telugu) are among the many releases that acted as fillers. "We sold 2-3 times more tickets for 'Ghilli'. In GK Cinemas, 'Pudhupettai' and 'Aayirathil Oruvan' performed well as well. Content, these days, are not theatre-worthy for viewers. We are looking at an overcrowded second half of 2024 with many films lined-up for release. We can hope that these will help us stay afloat," he explained.

With Kamal Haasan's 'Indian 2', Ram Charan's 'Game Changer', Jr NTR's 'Devara: Part 1' and several films lined up for release, the rest of 2024 looks promising. Will the dry spell end in Tamil, Telugu and Kannada cinema? Only time will tell.