Naga Vamsi Clarifies Impact of Devara’s Midnight Premieres
Producer Naga Vamsi, who distributed Devara in the two Telugu states, provided clarity on the impact of the film’s midnight premieres during the Lucky Bhaskar press meet. He was asked whether the decision to hold midnight shows benefited or harmed the film's performance.
The film Devara Part 1, directed by Koratala Siva and starring NTR, was released recently amid high expectations. Despite receiving mixed reviews on its opening day, the film performed well at the box office. With NTR returning after a four-year hiatus and the film containing several engaging elements, it saw no drop in collections. The second week of release coincided with the Dussehra holiday, drawing family audiences, which helped maintain solid box office numbers.
Interestingly, Devara held its premieres at 1 a.m. in both Telugu states the night before its official release. The initial response to these midnight shows was somewhat divided, but from the following day onward, general audiences and NTR fans embraced the film.
During the press meet for Lucky Bhaskar, Naga Vamsi was asked whether holding the midnight premieres resulted in a profit or loss. Responding in his typical style, he said, “If a film is successful, it naturally means it was profitable.
Moreover, the midnight shows taught me one thing—regardless of the early talk from such shows, if the content in the film is strong, audiences will surely support it.”He added, “As for Lucky Bhaskar, instead of midnight shows, we are planning to screen regular shows from the evening before the release.”