Everyone is eagerly looking forward to the epic Deepavali clash. This Friday, Vijay’s sports-based entertainer Bigil, directed by Atlee, will take on Karthi’s action-thriller Kaithi , directed by Lokesh Kanagaraj. It is a battle for ‘who will fare better at the Deepavali box-office storm’, which usually brings about an additional 10-15% revenue for the movie.
Clash of the titans
The battle lines are clearly drawn, since both Bigil and Kaithi are involved in stiff competition, in terms of the availability of screens. In Tamil Nadu, where 75-80% of revenue is generated primarily from theatres, this warrants to getting maximum shows and inflated ticket prices during the opening weekend. Take Bigil, for instance. The producer claims that the movie was made on a budget of ₹180 crore. Theatre owners need to increase the number of shows for Bigil to recover the whopping amount paid by distributors.It was a smooth sailing ride for Vijay the previous two Deepavalis, for his Mersal (2017) and Sarkar (2018) managed to get a solo release.
Karthi in ‘Kaithi’
The pre-release report is favourable for Kaithi , which is said to be a fast-paced action thriller with strong emotions. Dream Warrior Pictures, which has bankrolled Kaithi , has sold the movie in all areas and managed to get adequate screens. And yet, the star power that Vijay commands along with Atlee’s filmmaking will make sure that Bigil has a slight edge over Kaithi , and has gotten close to 75% of 1,000-odd screens in Tamil Nadu. However, the MG (minimum guarantee) and other terms and conditions proposed by theatre owners may not be as high as for a movie that releases without any competition. According to producers of Bigil , the movie is hitting 4,000 plus screens worldwide — making sure it rakes in enough moolah to emerge the winner.
What trade says
Meanwhile, the State government decided to crack down on theatres that charge exorbitant ticket rates and proposed a GO against special morning shows. Tamil Nadu Minister for Information and Publicity, Kadambur C Raju, has made it clear that permission has not been given yet for early morning shows on Deepavali. He also threatened to take legal action against theatres that charge inflated ticket rates. Unlike other States, there is a cap on ticket rates and the number of shows in Tamil Nadu. Leading distributor Tirupur K Subramaniam said that they will have a meeting with the minister to sort out the issue. “We have already submitted the necessary documents and are looking forward to the Government’s response. Huge money is riding on both films. If they turn out to be hits, it will be a great boost to the Tamil industry,” he added.
About the clash between Bigil and Kaithi , actor Karthi, in an interview to MetroPlus , said that the former will get a “lion’s share” in terms of screen count, but Kaithi will also get an equal number of theatres. Drawing parallels between Petta and Viswasam , released on Pongal this year, he raised an important point: “Why can’t Bigil and Kaithi release on the same day?”
According to sources, there will be some kind of agreement, since the State government gains a sizeable portion from GST and local body entertainment taxes. That said, the government will also see to it that tickets are not sold at higher rates. While North-East monsoon is all set to show its might in Tamil Nadu, people have already started showing up in large numbers at the ticketing window.
