Dhanush, Nagarjuna, Rashmika Mandanna's Kuberaa got mixed response at the box office. In the meantime, Producer Suniel Narang speaking to scribes, shared that the film was hit hard by piracy.
He said "Piracy is a growing menace and it’s rearing its ugly head again," said Suniel Narang. “We noticed a steep drop in collections from the third week onward.
It is known that LB.Nagar police arrested a person who was recording the film in theatre in the second week. The person confessed to be working for a person in Germany. Narang said “It was an old case. Cops are trying to trace the larger network involved,”
Sources say piracy resulted in the dip of Kuberaa final collections by around 6-7 crs. He added “It’s hard to put an exact figure, but the damage is very real. Piracy is a painful and inevitable reality,”
He continued "Several recent high-budget films such as Game Changer, Thandel, Pushpa: The Rise, and Kalki 2898 AD have also suffered similar losses due to the leak of HD prints online shortly after their theatrical release. Piracy must be curtailed at any cost,”
He added “The Telugu Film Chamber of Commerce has formed a dedicated team to combat the menace and support producers who have invested heavily in filmmaking. Piracy doesn’t just hurt theatrical revenue; it also impacts OTT deals. Platforms like Netflix and Amazon Prime tend to renegotiate terms if a film is leaked online. I don’t blame them,”
A top producer says “When HD prints leak before their scheduled OTT release, it affects their viewership. Naturally, they become cautious in their deals.” He continued “Over 60% of pirate servers are located in the USA, followed by France, Africa, and Singapore. Around 20 to 30 agencies are currently working to combat piracy, but their reach is limited due to a lack of coordination with law enforcement,”
He concluded “A delegation of top producers should approach the Central Government. Only then can we expect action against rogue servers and coordinated efforts across borders,”