The overseas market has been a big source of revenue for Telugu film producers. Without considering whether it is a big-budget movie or if it has a star hero, overseas viewers always welcomed a good film with open arms. If a film excites overseas audiences, producers & distributors are sure to take home whopping profits. So, the makers always show a special interest in the overseas market. It is not an exaggeration to tell that overseas business has a close to 25% stake in the Telugu cinema market.

But the Corona pandemic crisis is likely to swallow overseas markets completely. With the lockdown of public places, the theatre business and cinema industry are already going through rough patches. It is expected to take a longer period- at least 3 months- for the industry to recover. Once the cinema halls become functional, the audiences may not be fully interested to come and watch films in the theatres.

For Indians who are residing in other nations, cinema is the biggest provider of entertainment. Though the ticket prices are high, Indians do not hesitate to spend on movies. But it may not be the case in the days to come. After the lock-down restrictions are lifted, the working model is going to change extensively. Analysts are indicating an increase in work hours, pay cuts, layoffs, and more. In such a hard scenario, to watch in a film in theatres is a luxurious thing. With the massive jump in OTT platform subscriptions, any new release is coming to the streaming service in less than a month of release. So, an overseas viewer may tend to prefer an OTT platform rather than traveling to theatres and spending extra bucks.

Also, the overseas release could be in a different manner soon. Through a DTH platform, a film can get released directly to homes. Those who want to catch a new film should subscribe by paying a fixed amount for a one-time watch. So, the overseas market will take a new shape in the form of DTH, which becomes the major source of revenues for producers. But they must overcome the piracy issue. Also, a DTH release can bring out the HD print of any film in just a few hours. So, the audiences may not show good interest to spend their money to watch on DTH.

The overseas market has crumbled enough, and the filmmakers must look out alternate ways to keep them excited for Telugu movies, else they should be ready to face big losses.