One film that never got quite the big-splash release that it deserved in 2022, but has gained an enormous and lively following, is the Tollywood action epic RRR. For Western audiences, the film has primarily only been available on Netflix, to be streamed at home, and at most, in the company of some friends and family. While there have been special screenings here and there, and many chances for audiences in major US cities to see the film in theaters, it's about time that the film became widely available in theaters around the world. Yes, we're talking a massive tent pole release strategy. With the film heavily circulating in the awards season conversation, its audience continually growing bigger and bigger, and a time when moviegoers are excited to go see big action epics in theaters again, when will there ever be a smarter and more fun time to give RRR a theatrical rerelease?
What Is 'RRR' About?
For those of you that haven't jumped on the train for the most fun film of 2022, don't worry, because you're in for a treat. Set in 1920s India, RRR is the heightened true tale of two friends spearheading a revolution against the British colonialists in their country. It's a 3-hour epic filled with action, romance, comedy, drama, and even some banger musical numbers. You might think that you saw some great action in The Way of Water or Top Gun: Maverick in 2022, but believe me when I say that if you haven't seen this film, then you're missing out on the most extravagant, heightened, gobsmackking action filmmaking of the year. As stated before, while this is based upon a true story, this is a loose retelling. RRR shrugs off realism in favor of providing a true thrill ride, and that it is. Director S.S. Rajamouli has been on record calling Inglorious Basterds one of the biggest influences for this film, something that is very clear in its approach to using historical events as a template for creating a wholly new story.
Why 'RRR' Should Be Re-Released
With both Top Gun and Avatar doing bang-up business at the box office this past year, it's clear that audiences have been longing for big action epics like RRR to come back into theaters once again. There were other major box office successes with action in them last year, movies like Jurassic World: Dominion, Doctor Strange in the Multiverse of Madness, and Black Panther: Wakanda Forever, but audiences are growing tired of this brand of long-running, exhausted franchise entertainment that clearly demonstrate corporate interests more than anything else. Word of mouth has been huge for this film on streaming, so if a big theatrical rerelease was marketed heavily, you bet people would show up big time for this film. RRR is a crowd pleaser that would absolutely crush with a big crowd.
When a film has a scale this big, it's always best to experience it on the largest screen possible. It's fantastic that so many more people got to experience RRR because of its mass availability on Netflix than they normally would have, but a home viewing experience doesn't do it justice. Everyone has a movie that they've grown up with, seen a thousand times but only at home and on a TV, yet they've loved every single viewing. Well if you've ever had the chance to eventually catch that movie in theaters, after years of home viewings, then it's almost a guarantee that that viewing is the best you've ever experienced it. RRR can be seen on Netflix as many times as people want to, but it can only be experienced in the magnitude that it deserves in a theater.
These days, there's a lot of debate about the theatrical experience and if it truly makes that much of a difference or not, but let's be real for a minute, okay? Theaters are literally monuments constructed and maintained solely for the purpose of watching movies. They look better on the big screen than anywhere else, sound better through professionally designed sound systems, and are always the most fun with a good crowd. When a film is as bombastic on the senses as RRR, it is imperative that you see it, hear it, and feel it in the biggest way possible. S.S. Rajamouli crafted an absolute behemoth of a film, one that deserves to be experienced as immensely as possible. Plus, who wouldn't want to hear this fantastic soundtrack blasted through theater speakers? Come on. That sounds like a blast!
Let's Celebrate 'RRR'
Outside of the benefits of a theatrical presentation, a theatrical rerelease would benefit RRR by getting it even more so in the minds of the public, and especially, awards show voters. Rajamouli's film has been circulating within awards show conversations for months now, and has slowly been nominated for more and more across a multitude of categories. It's a surefire bet that this will at least be nominated for the Best International Feature category at the 95th Academy Awards, but it even sounds as though it stands a chance of jumping the gun and landing a Best Picture nomination - something it deserves, no doubt about it. Recently, both Drive My Car and Parasite are films that were dually nominated for Best International Feature and Best Picture, so it's not out of the question for RRR. Parasite even went on to win the top prize at the 92nd International Feature, so hopes aren't entirely lost for this Tollywood film to make a full sweep. Let's make it happen! Rerelease RRR, get the people talking, do the impossible and make it even more beloved than it already is, and get the Academy's minds set in this thing. Remember how fun the Parasite Best Picture win was? Just imagine how fun an RRR win would be.
After a few dour years, it's finally fun to go to the movies again, but nothing would be more fun than going out for the night and seeing RRR in a packed house, on the big screen. Between its relentless back to back action set pieces, fun musical numbers, and meeting audience's demands for these big, noisy movies to come back into theaters, now would be a better time than ever to rerelease this Tollywood banger, wide and for people everywhere to experience. The fact that a rerelease would circulate the film in the minds of moviegoers everywhere would lead it to gaining a greater attention of Academy voters, and make it more possible than ever for the film to be awarded and celebrated at the highest level. Do it you cowards, rerelease RRR back into theaters and let's have fun experiencing this thing in the biggest way imaginable and have the most fun awards race in history!