With the Tamil Nadu state government easing Covid-19 restrictions on Thursday, lifting the night curfew and Sunday lockdown with immediate effect, theatre owners have begun gearing up for the long line of star-studded films waiting to hit the big screens.
The Pongal season was supposed to witness big-budget releases such as RRR, Radhe Shyam, and Valimai, but all three films were postponed owing to a rise in Covid-19 cases. Instead, smaller films like Sila Nerangalil Sila Manithargal, Naai Sekar, and Enna Solla Pogirai found their way to theatres in January.
However, with the state government now easing the pandemic restrictions, theatre owners feel that the upcoming months will see many big releases.
Speaking to Silverscreen India, Srither S, joint secretary of Tamil Nadu Theatres Association, said, “Starting February, and in the months that follow, theatres will be premiering several biggies. Besides films like Valimai, Etharkkum Thunindhavan, RRR, Radhe Shyam Beast, KGF 2, and Don, there are about four films each from actors Santhanam, Atharvaa, Vijay Sethupathi, Vijay Antony, and Arun Vijay. So, the period between February and May will be packed.”
Rakesh Gowthaman of Vetri Cinemas in Chennai said that many films that had backed out due to the night curfew and Sunday lockdown would now be coming out. Giving a tentative line-up of films, he said, “Vishal’s Veeramae Vaagai Soodum, which was supposed to release on January 26, will now arrive on February 4. Etharkkum Thunindhavan, which is the next project that is ready, might come on February 11 or 18. Based on that date, the others will plan their releases. KGF 2 is hitting theatres on April 14, with Beast also expected around the same time. Don is likely to release on March 25. Films like RRR will have to consider pan-Indian situations before announcing their release.”
He added that most of these dates are tentative, and will be subject to change depending on the performance of the first few films at the box office.
Rakesh also mentioned that Valimai may come out by the first week of March.
Ruban of GK Cinemas, Chennai, said theatre owners are expecting an “exciting” line-up of films after two years. “We had Master, but did not have a follow-up to that. After Sultan and Karnan, theatres were closed. Again, we got Doctor, Maanadu, Pushpa, followed by another closure,” he added.
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Ruban also mentioned that films like Don, Hey Sinamika, and Yaanai, will be a part of the upcoming line-up. Asked if there will be any distribution issues due to the number of releases, he replied in the negative and said, “There will be two-week window that will be followed between films.”
As per government orders, theatres are still running at only 50% capacity. But Rakesh does not believe this will have a big effect on the releases. “There have been films that were successful even with half occupancy, as proved by Karnan and Master in 2021. But, at the same time, cases should come down soon. By mid-March, we may expect full occupancy to be restored,” he said.
Ruban echoed the same and said, “Despite the 50% occupancy, I think the dry spell for theatres is about to come to an end.”