Big gamble pays off as Bigil makes ₹100 crore in first week
‘Film has been profitable for everyone in the value chain’
02/11/2019, UDHAV NAIG,CHENNAI
There is a belief in the industry that you have arrived as a producer or a distributor only if you are involved with a Rajinikanth or, more recently, actor Vijay’s film.
When actor Vijay’s Bigil was getting ready for release on the Deepavali weekend, real estate entrepreneur-turned-film producer Sundar Arumugam’s Screen Scene Media Entertainment jumped into the ring and unexpectedly bagged the theatrical rights for Bigil in Tamil Nadu for a huge sum. The film released in close to 650 screens in Tamil Nadu alone.
It was a show of intent in more ways than one. “The fact that it was a Vijay film was enough for us. At the same time, I was clear that I only wanted to buy it outright, and paid a premium,” he said.
He added that outright purchase and sale sidesteps the whole issue of keeping track of box-office collections. “I sold the film to distributors across the State. So, even though profit-margins are not huge, what the distributors make will be theirs entirely. So far, the film has comfortably crossed ₹100 crore in Tamil Nadu in the first week and it has been profitable for every one in the value chain,” he said.
Contrary to the perception that the film business is unpredictable and volatile, Mr. Sundar underlines that no other industry can return sizeable profits in such a short period of time.
“Movies are a passion and cinema pulls you in. It is also quick money, sometimes. When your movie becomes a hit in six months or a year, the happiness and excitement you get is not measurable. People often mess up when they go ahead and sign up two or three films after such a success,” he adds.
While Bigil is Screen Scene Media Entertainment’s first big step, the company has already signed actor Jayam Ravi in a three-film deal, and is also doing the remake of Bollywood superhit Vicky Donor.
Ask him if he would use the experience to produce big-budget films, Mr. Sundar says he would rather take it slow.
‘Content wins’
“Gone are the days when you can put together combinations of actors and the film will succeed. Content always wins. We don’t want to go all out and sign many movies. Ideally, we don’t want to do more than 2 movies at a time,” he said.
On a question about reports of Bigil shows in certain theatres getting cancelled, Mr. Sundar said, “Out of a 100% audience, 70% has already seen the film in the first week. Obviously, some shows may be removed. This is only normal, and happens with all films.”
‘Film has been profitable for everyone in the value chain’
02/11/2019, UDHAV NAIG,CHENNAI
There is a belief in the industry that you have arrived as a producer or a distributor only if you are involved with a Rajinikanth or, more recently, actor Vijay’s film.
When actor Vijay’s Bigil was getting ready for release on the Deepavali weekend, real estate entrepreneur-turned-film producer Sundar Arumugam’s Screen Scene Media Entertainment jumped into the ring and unexpectedly bagged the theatrical rights for Bigil in Tamil Nadu for a huge sum. The film released in close to 650 screens in Tamil Nadu alone.
It was a show of intent in more ways than one. “The fact that it was a Vijay film was enough for us. At the same time, I was clear that I only wanted to buy it outright, and paid a premium,” he said.
He added that outright purchase and sale sidesteps the whole issue of keeping track of box-office collections. “I sold the film to distributors across the State. So, even though profit-margins are not huge, what the distributors make will be theirs entirely. So far, the film has comfortably crossed ₹100 crore in Tamil Nadu in the first week and it has been profitable for every one in the value chain,” he said.
Contrary to the perception that the film business is unpredictable and volatile, Mr. Sundar underlines that no other industry can return sizeable profits in such a short period of time.
“Movies are a passion and cinema pulls you in. It is also quick money, sometimes. When your movie becomes a hit in six months or a year, the happiness and excitement you get is not measurable. People often mess up when they go ahead and sign up two or three films after such a success,” he adds.
While Bigil is Screen Scene Media Entertainment’s first big step, the company has already signed actor Jayam Ravi in a three-film deal, and is also doing the remake of Bollywood superhit Vicky Donor.
Ask him if he would use the experience to produce big-budget films, Mr. Sundar says he would rather take it slow.
‘Content wins’
“Gone are the days when you can put together combinations of actors and the film will succeed. Content always wins. We don’t want to go all out and sign many movies. Ideally, we don’t want to do more than 2 movies at a time,” he said.
On a question about reports of Bigil shows in certain theatres getting cancelled, Mr. Sundar said, “Out of a 100% audience, 70% has already seen the film in the first week. Obviously, some shows may be removed. This is only normal, and happens with all films.”
No comments:
Post a Comment