The ongoing tussle between producers and exhibitors over the revenue-sharing terms is only intensifying with each passing day. Yesterday, the exhibitors made it clear that adopting the percentage-sharing model is the only way forward. SVC’s Shirish Reddy stated that single screens won’t exhibit films at hiked prices even if the government grants permission.
Today, the Active Producers Guild held a press meet to share its thoughts on the issue. Reacting to Shirish’s statements, Mythri Ravi Shankar said, “The issue surfaced during the release of Hari Hara Veera Mallu. Later, they (SVC) released several films, including War 2, Coolie, Akhanda 2, Mana Shankara Vara Prasad Garu, Anaganaga Oka Raju, and Nari Nari Naduma Murari. Didn’t you think about exhibitors’ problems during that time?”
He added, “Since you haven’t been dealing with big films lately, you have now brought up the demand to implement the percentage-sharing system immediately. This isn’t correct. We must sit and discuss. The industry has been suffering for the last four to five months without proper releases. Just when a good film (Peddi) is arriving, it’s not right to create unnecessary tension. We are not saying there isn’t a problem in the exhibition sector. We are open to discussions to solve the issues amicably.”