It is not known from official sources, but this insight has emerged from American sources regarding premier show ticket sales for the film Devara.
Generally, exhibitors receive 40% of the ticket price, while the remaining 60% goes to the distributors and producers.
For instance, if the makers buy all the tickets in all the centers, they get back 60% anyway. By losing that 40%, they can create hype for the film by showing full houses and a high demand for the hero.
Since this helps the hero's career the most, sources indicate that the hero may also be involved in this ticket-buying scheme.
Though this was taken as gossip initially, an observation supports this claim.
A theater in Texas displayed almost 80% sold-out status when checked online within a day when tickets are enabled , indicating that all 120-130 tickets were sold out of 160+ auditorium leaving front row and few corner seats that too 4 weeks before the movie release date. However, for the actual show, there were only 24 audience members present in the theater.
This phenomenon seems to be practiced by the producers to inflate the demand for the film, and it worked as well.
Some groups view this as a scam, while others consider it a clever marketing strategy.
As these numbers reflect the hero's stardom and demand, it's likely that many filmmakers and heroes will follow suit.
If this practice becomes the norm, every big Telugu film could report sold-out tickets, making exhibitors in the USA happy. If this spreads to Hindi and Tamil films, theaters in USA would be eager to screen premieres of all major Indian films.
We are still investigating this matter and will provide more concrete evidence soon. Stay tuned for more details!
