This has been a mixed year for Tamil films at the box-office. Till December 23, there have been 196 Tamil releases, and nearly 10 films have advertised a December 30 release. In 2014, there were 205 releases, and it came down to 202 films in 2015. Out of the 200-odd releases this year, 20 would have been profitable or can be termed hits for the producers concerned.
Almost 70 to 80 per cent of film profits (depending on the hero) come from Tamil Nadu theatrical rights alone. A producer sells overseas and India rights before the release, and if the hero has a market in Andhra Pradesh, Telugu dubbing prices fetch a bigger amount. All big Tamil action hero films have a dubbed Hindi satellite market. There is hardly any audio market for Tamil films, and a few films are picked by labels on a commission basis.
The Tamil satellite market has crashed as films like Kabali and Theri are yet to be picked up by local channels. In fact, Kabali has already been telecast in Malayalam, Hindi, and Telugu channels, and garnered good TRPs. But digital rights are big this year with major players like Amazon stepping in. A big hero Tamil film might bring in profits from worldwide theatrical, satellite and digital revenues, and need not depend entirely on Tamil Nadu theatricals. The worldwide net box-office receipts of Kabali make it south India’s highest grosser of 2016, and profitable for its producer, though there was discontent among its distributors in Tamil Nadu.
On the flip side, with the various industry associations fighting each other, piracy is rampant. Factors such as the demonetisation move, cyclone Vardah that hit Chennai and Chengalpet areas, have crippled the box-office.
Kalaipuli Thanu, the Tamil Film Producers Council Chief, is undoubtedly the producer of the year. He shocked the trade when he released Theri all over Tamil Nadu, barring Chengalpet (the biggest territory in the state) as he took on the powerful Theatre association. Despite a late release in Chengalpet, the Vijay-starrer went on to become a blockbuster. It turned out to be a universal hit, as it was sold at a reasonable price and everybody connected with it made profits.
Thanu’s marketing of Rajinikanth’s Kabali was another talking point in the trade. He was able to sell theatrical and other rights of the film for a rumoured Rs 200 crore. He also got lucrative endorsement deals for the film. Kabali went on to become the highest-grossing south Indian film in the overseas market. The producers say that it had grossed around Rs.110 crore in its opening weekend from Indian theatricals in three languages – Tamil, Telugu, and Hindi. However, Tamil Nadu distributors of the film were unhappy, as they purchased the film at an exorbitant rate and lost money despite selling tickets priced at Rs. 300 and Rs. 500.
There is no transparency regarding box-office collection figures in Tamil Nadu, as most places outside Chennai city sell tickets for the opening weekend at what the court says is “surge pricing” or higher ticket rates than government-approved pricing . Another major factor that determines success for a film is getting the ‘tax-free’ status; it is given to a film with a ‘U’ certificate, approved by a committee set up by the state government. This has led to a situation where the distributor’s share comes down by almost 20 per cent, if there is no tax exemption. For example, the distributor share for 24 came down in Tamil Nadu, as the film was not tax-free. At the same time, Kabali got away to a certain extent because it was exempted from tax.
Another unique factor of the year is that two original Tamil films – Suriya’s 24 and Vijay Antony’s Pichaikaaran – dubbed in Telugu, have had double and triple collections in Andhra Pradesh and Telangana, than Tamil Nadu. Pichaikaaran is a superhit in Tamil Nadu, but went on to become a blockbuster in Telugu.
Here is a list of the films that have done well at the Tamil Nadu box-office this year, based on ROI (return on investment). Theri is the blockbuster of the year. The superhits in the order of their release dates are Rajini Murugan , Irudhi Suttru , Pichaikaaran, Velainu Vandhutta Vellaikaaran , Iru Mugan , and Remo . The hits and safe bets (break even) films from TN theatricals are Aranmanai 2, Sethupathi, Thozha, Manithan, Appa, Idhu Namma Aalu, Dhilluku Dhuddu, Kabali, Dharma Durai, Devi, Kodi , Achcham Yenbadhu Madamaiyada , and Chennai 600028 II .
TOP 5
1. Kabali
2. Theri
3. Remo
4. 24
5. Iru Mugan
(Based on net revenue to the producer from India domestic theatricals, overseas theatricals, satellite, digital, audio, endorsement deals and all other rights.)
