Christmas Holidays Heat Up Telugu Box Office; Dhandoraa, Shambhala Go for Paid Premieres

The Christmas release window has turned increasingly competitive this year, pushing film teams to explore aggressive promotional strategies to stay visible. One trend that has gained momentum is the scheduling of paid premiere shows ahead of a film’s official release. While early screenings have helped some films benefit from advance word of mouth, they have also proven risky, with negative reactions sometimes surfacing even before release day.

With more than six films slated to arrive in theatres this Thursday, the race to grab audience attention has intensified. This weekend alone will see five Telugu films hitting the screens, and at least three of them have opted for paid premieres to build early traction.

Among the first to move is Dandora, starring Shivaji, Navdeep, Nandu, and Bindhu Madhavi. The film has lined up paid premiere shows for Tuesday night, two days ahead of its release, across major centres in both Telugu-speaking states.

Following closely are two more films scheduled for premieres on Wednesday. One of them is Shambhala, a project considered important for Aadi Saikumar. Advance bookings for its premiere shows have reportedly opened to encouraging response. On the same day, the horror film Eesha will also go ahead with special paid screenings.

Interestingly, Champion, starring Roshan Meka and widely seen as the most anticipated release of the week, has not announced any premiere plans so far. However, given the growing reliance on early shows, trade circles feel that a last-minute announcement cannot be ruled out.

As the festive box-office battle heats up, paid premieres appear to be shaping up as a decisive factor in determining early momentum for these Christmas releases.