Looks like The Villain is here to change the business scenario of Kannada films. This, with the makers having decided to increase the ticket pricing of the film. The big-budget film, directed by Prem, which stars Shivarajkumar and Sudeep, is expected to release in 1,000 theatres worldwide.

The balcony tickets to watch The Villain will cost cine-goers Rs 200 at a single-screen theatre and Rs 500 at multiplexes. Prem explains, “If you notice, cine-goers are ready to shell out Rs 1,000 per ticket to watch a Hindi, Tamil or Telugu films, and those films are doing well even though it is doubly priced. But our hike is nominal, and we are looking at this from the producers’ point of view." He adds, “Our audience will definitely understand the reason behind the hike.”

Ahead of the film’s release on October 18, pre-booking of which opens on October 11, producer Manohar says, “Since this is a big-budget film, it was only obvious that the price of tickets would be hiked. The audience will understand the scenario and will be happy to pay to watch a good Kannada film.”