Mersal gets record opening

Udhav Naig

CHENNAI, OCTOBER 20, 2017 00:00 IST

UPDATED: OCTOBER 20, 2017 04:45 IST

Vijay  

Many theatres across T.N. have sold first day tickets between Rs. 300 and Rs. 1,000

Despite the State government hiking the ticket prices, actor Vijay’s Mersal had a record opening for a Tamil film.

While the theatre business has only partly recovered from a slump, post the introduction of GST, it has brought the focus back on the State government’s logic of putting a cap on the ticket prices for the first few days when the demand is sky-high.

Many theatres across Tamil Nadu have reportedly sold first day tickets for anywhere between Rs. 300 and Rs. 1,000.

With the movie screening in close to 700 screens across the State, selling tickets at inflated prices continues unabated — especially for the early morning shows in many single screen theatres, according to the trade sources.

“Yes, the first day collection is somewhere between Rs. 22-24 crore in Tamil Nadu alone. Clearly, it has surpassed the opening of Rajinikanth’s Kabali , Vijay’s earlier film, Theri ,” said Tiruppur Subramanian, a well-known distributor in the western Tamil Nadu.

Asked why the exhibitors are still selling tickets at inflated prices, Mr. Subramaniam said, “It can be curbed only if the stakeholders regulate the so-called ‘special fans’ show for which tickets are sold at inflated prices. Tickets should also be sold only via online booking. Abirami Ramanathan, president, Tamil Nadu Cinema Theatre Owners’ Association, said he had not received any complaints of theatres charging above the government-mandated rates.

“The opening has been extraordinary and there is no question of inflated ticket prices having an effect, as the prices in Tamil Nadu are the lowest in India,” he also said.

‘Monitor and report’

The Tamil Film Producers Council had earlier stated it would ‘monitor and report’ the theatres that charge more than the fixed price.

The council’s treasurer, S.R. Prabhu, said the council had limited powers, but would continue to do what it had promised.

“While we don’t have the power to punish them, we are doing our bit. The onus is on the State government and the people to report such misdoings,” Mr. Prabhu said.