Baahubali 2: The Conclusion (Tamil) saw the maximum ticket bookings through online entertainment ticketing platform, BookMyShow for the year 2017.
Of the 300 Tamil films that were listed on BookMyShow till November, actor Vijay’s Mersal and Bairavaa and actor Ajith’s Vivegam did exceptionally well and saw the highest bookings, the online firm claimed, without giving detailed figures.
Ashish Saksena, COO-Cinemas, BookMyShow, told The Hindu, “The passion and love for films and film stars in this region is unmatched. Nowhere else do fans so willingly book tickets for a 4 a.m. show and stand in queues all night to get the tickets for the most anticipated film. This is why this market is extremely important for us and contributes significantly to the overall movie revenues for us.”
According to the company, about 10% of the total screens on BookMyShow are from Tamil Nadu.
“We have over 400 screens from Tamil Nadu. We have added more than 160 screens in the last one year alone and have penetrated into more than 13 new locations including Marthandam, Theni, Virudhunagar and Perambalur,” added Mr. Saksena.
In 2017, the online ticketing platform brought on board SPI cinema screens, the biggest player in the Tamil Nadu market. In 2018, BookMyShow is planning to add more screens in Tamil Nadu with a strong focus on tier 2 and tier 3 towns and cities.
Mr. Saksena pointed to the rise in disposable income, data penetration creatiopn of more awareness for films, and more people seeking entertainment as factors contributing to the growth of films in tier 2 and tier 3 markets, not just in Tamil Nadu but all across the country.
Encouraging signs
“In Tamil Nadu alone, cities like Tirupur, Coimbatore, Salem, Vellore, Tiruchi and many more have shown encouraging signs for the movie business,” he added.
At the national level, 1,450 films were listed on BookMyShow this year. Baahubali 2: The Conclusion saw 16 million tickets fly off from the BookMyShow site alone across India.
Movie-goers across India preferred Hindi cinemas, followed by Tamil and English ones.
