Ticket prices and the hike drama in Telangana state have taken a new turn. The High Court has ordered that any future ticket price hikes or revisions must be decided and announced at least 90 days before a film’s release date, to stop these “11th-hour” approvals and ensure transparency under the Telangana Cinemas (Regulation) Act, 1955.
This fresh order comes as a hurdle for Sri Rama Navami special releases like Nani’s The Paradise (March 26) and Ram Charan’s Peddi (March 27). According to the court’s order, these movies cannot get ticket price hikes in Telangana as their release dates are less than 90 days away. As a result, the makers of these films will have to release without hikes if they stick to the announced dates.
If they decide to go without hikes, there will be a slight decrease in collections compared to usual trends. However, if they want hikes for sure, the release dates will have to be pushed by over a month, and the new dates must be announced immediately.
The same problem applies to other movies such as Pawan Kalyan’s Ustaad Bhagat Singh, which is planned to release in April 2026. Makers of summer releases such as Venkatesh’s Aadarsha Kutumbam, Chiranjeevi’s Vishwambhara, and others need to act fast to get the benefit of ticket price hikes. The next few days in the Telugu film industry are going to be interesting, and it remains to be seen how the makers of big films react.
