Pongal festival: Tamil blockbuster films release, crowds throng theatres
KV Prasad Jun 13, 2022, 06:35 AM IST (Published)
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Summary
Although the mandatory 50 percent seating rule was in place in view of the COVID-19 pandemic, the restriction did not deter fans from making a beeline in the hope to buy tickets for both films.
Ten months since a blockbuster Tamil film last released in a Chennai multiplex or theatre, twin releases starring Tamil stars Vijay and Silmabarasan hit the big screens across multiplexes in the state, on the eve of Pongal, Tamil Nadu’s harvest festival. The Vijay starrer Master and Eswaran saw audiences throng cinema screens in Chennai and several other districts, as fans got a taste of the movies for the first time in months.
Although the mandatory 50 percent seating rule was in place in view of the COVID-19 pandemic, the restriction did not deter fans from making a beeline in the hope to buy tickets for both films, with Master enjoying greater patronage along expected lines thanks to Vijay’s star value.
“So far theatre business has been pathetic in Tamil Nadu, with footfalls around 10 percent to 15 percent only during the weekends, while on weekdays most of the theatres were closed,” said trade analyst, Sreedhar Pillai, speaking exclusively to CNBC-TV18, “So, 1,100 cinema screens have been looking forward to the release of Master, which would be the biggest Pongal Tamil release in the state.”
Last week, the Tamil Nadu government issued an order allowing cinemas to revert to 100 percent seating, only to see it struck down by the Centre as the order diluted the home ministry’s COVID-19 restrictions on cinema seating in line with the Disaster Management Act. Subsequently, the Tamil Nadu government allowed multiplexes to play up to 6 shows per screen in order to compensate for the projected fall in box office collections.
Pillai added that given the increased number of shows per screen and houseful shows even with reduced seating, Vijay’s Master could easily make 65 percent of what it would have otherwise earned had the film released before the pandemic. “So, if the filmmakers make about Rs 50 crore by the first weekend, they’d definitely consider it a win,” he said.
These flattering estimates aside, questions continue remain over the sustainability of these numbers, whether estimates of a revival in the multiplex business are a tad premature. “We know that audiences will come for a Vijay film. But whether the same audiences are going to back to the habit of coming to theatres is a big question mark,” said noted film critic Baradwaj Rangan, “These fans coming to see Master, they are not coming because theatres are open.”
Rangan’s view is shared by several film buffs too, who frequented multiplexes before the pandemic hit but don’t visit them anymore. “Movies are closed environments with air-conditioning, and I don’t think they’re safe,” said Saravan Krishna, a Chennai-based entrepreneur, “Even if you would like to go (to the movies), you face a situation where you have parents at home, you end up meeting your grandparents. So, you don’t want to put them at risk.”
Curiously enough, theatres and multiplexes have remained tight-lipped over revenue projections. Many theatres that CNBC-TV18 reached out to, declined requests for interviews. A top-placed source said most multiplex owners are upset with the Centre’s decision to overturn Tamil Nadu’s decision to allow 100 percent seating as theatre owners had already begun selling more tickets than they could now part with.
However, these concerns notwithstanding, the eve of Pongal, single-screen theatres and multiplexes were greeted by hordes of fans scrambling to make it to their seats. The first show at the Rohini Theatre in Chennai began at 3:00 am. Off screen, larger-than-life cut-outs of actor Vijay adorned most theatres, many of which were treated to the customary pal-abhishegams (a ritualistic pouring of milk usually done to worship deities).
COVID-19 or not, the average filmgoer in Chennai is bored, and Pongal film releases seem like a great way to unwind and catch up with the movies.
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