Till date, no Hollywood film has evoked as much interest in Tamil Nadu as Avengers: Endgame , which is the final movie in the ‘Infinity Saga’ of the so-called Marvel Cinematic Universe (MCU).
The much awaited final showdown between a bunch of superheroes and a supervillain — Thanos — will release on April 26 in more than 500 screens across Tamil Nadu and in three languages — English, Tamil, Telugu and Hindi — and in IMAX, 3D and 2D. Many in the trade distribution circles surprisingly claim that the revenue generated by Avengers: Endgame could surpass even the revenues of some major Tamil movies released in the last 12 months.
Multiplex executives report that the demand for first-day-first-show is already off the charts with fans and acquaintances enquiring when the tickets would be opened. Pre-booking for the movie sold out in minutes, weeks in advance.
Udeep Reddy, managing director and CEO, Mayajaal, said, “The demand is huge. I am planning to play all 4 languages English/Tamil/Telugu/Hindi in 3D & 2D across our 16 screens. I expect the movie to be screened in 500 screens across Tamil Nadu. The expectation has certainly exceeded that of the last Avengers film and Jurassic World which continue to have a loyal Indian audience.”
The audience have been gearing up for the release for the last few months. Many have been brushing up the franchise’s earlier movies to enjoy the final instalment.
“Many of us grew up reading Marvel Superhero comics. And when these comics were made into movies, it was a perfect opportunity to introduce these to our kids, sharing the fun we had as kids,” said Gayathri Doraiswami, who plans to watch the ‘essential 9 movies’ again before the release of Avengers: Endgame on April 26.
SPI Cinemas has tied up with Planet Of Geeks, an official Marvel merchandiser to create a digital scavenger hunt named ‘Steal The Gauntlet’, which hopes to “immerse the participants in pop culture” and test their knowledge of trivia.
Rakesh Gowthaman, managing director, Vettri Cinemas, said, “We have screened almost 8 movies in the last two months. When Avengers: Infinity Wars released not many were fully aware of the Marvel universe and didn’t know that this was the culmination of an 11-year journey.”
Disney India seems to have pulled out all the stops to ensure that the movie reaches out to the Marvel fans in Tamil Nadu.
They have roped in actors Vijay Sethupathy and Andrea Jeremiah to dub for Iron Man , played by actor Robert Downey Jr. and Black Widow , played by Scarlett Johansson, in Tamil. Oscar winning music composer A.R. Rahman has composed an official theme song for Endgame .
Distributor Tiruppur Subramanian said that such measures would certainly help the movie’s run even in the smaller towns and villages. “It will certainly be bigger than a few Tamil films. There is a good chance that the film might do well in smaller towns too,” he added.
