New Delhi: Superstar Rajinikanth’s action drama Kaala—set to release in theatres on Thursday—has registered the lowest advance booking and pre-release buzz ever for a film starring the legendary actor. Unlike tradition, tickets for the first weekend haven’t sold out in Tamil Nadu, even two days before release date.
“Eventually, the shows will probably go houseful because the die-hard fans will come in hordes but that’s nothing for a Rajinikanth film. The pressure is not the same this time,” said Rakesh Gowthaman, managing director of Vettri Theatres in Chennai. For Kabali, Rajinikanth’s last film released in July 2016, shows were sold out for the first Friday until Tuesday the day Vettri opened bookings. This time, seats were still available for Friday as well as Saturday as late as the Tuesday before release.
Atul Mohan, editor of trade magazine Complete Cinema expects a Rs30 crore day one for Kaala that releases in Tamil, Telugu and Hindi, with anything between Rs25-28 crore from the south Indian versions and about Rs2.5 crore from Hindi. The actor’s last film Kabali hadn’t stormed the box office either, making Rs48 crore from all language versions on its opening day.
What’s more worrisome is that Kaala is not even targeting as many screens as Kabali, about 2,000 compared to the 2016 film’s 3,000-3,500.
Kaala distributors Lyca Productions did not respond to Mint’s queries.
Usually the distribution rights of a Rajinikanth film are sold outright in advance before release but this time, trade experts say distributors aren’t willing to risk. They have bought the film on commission basis, paying a certain amount for screening and then expecting to adjust as per box office collections. Part of this may also have to do with his recent mixed record at the box office. Apart from Kabali, Rajinikanth’s last two releases—Lingaa and Kochadaiiyan—didn’t set the cash registers ringing either, earning Rs149 crore and Rs70 crore, respectively—unprofitable, considering their massive budgets.
The reasons for the lack of excitement for Kaala are obvious. First are the film’s inherent weaknesses. “The combination of director Pa. Ranjith and Rajinikanth didn’t really work in Kabali,” Gowthaman pointed out. Further, Kaala that was supposed to be released in April, couldn’t see the light of day because of the strike in Tamil Nadu between the producers’ association and digital service providers.
“The pre-Eid period is typically the dullest for movie business,” said independent film analyst Sreedhar Pillai. Plus, when Salman Khan’s action thriller Race 3 releases on Eid next week, Pillai said, it would be difficult to garner significant occupancy even if you do get screens—at least in north India. Further, if you take the two-week window needed for a Salman-starrer to settle down, you’d be clashing with Ranbir Kapoor-starrer Sanju on 29 June. That doesn’t really leave the superstar, whose film has already seen delay, with much choice. Even this week, Kaala is fighting with science fiction film Jurassic World: Fallen Kingdom that has notched up 2,300 screens compared to its 2,000 count.
It’s a different story down south. The actor’s recent comments on the Cauvery water-sharing dispute have invited a ban on the movie from the Karnataka Film Chambers of Commerce.
Even though the Karnataka high court had asked the state to provide security to theatres screening the film, chief minister H.D. Kumaraswamy said the makers should avoid releasing it in the state “considering the situation”.
Rajinikanth also caused a huge stir when he called the anti-Sterlite protesters in Thoothukudi “anti-social element”. The hurt to Tamil sentiments, trade experts say, may affect the prospects of the film not just domestically but even in overseas territories where there is significant Tamil population.
In the era of accessible stardom and social media, industry experts say even a superstar like Rajinikanth is not immune to backlash. Age may finally be catching up with the icon whose films are not just missing a connection with audiences but whose political leanings are hitting all the wrong notes with fans who don’t believe in blind devotion anymore.
“The man is going to be 68 this year. A lot of the current generation has turned to younger stars. Plus his political views have only hampered things, Pillai said.
However, not all is lost for Kaala. Pillai pointed out that the film has already made earnings of Rs75-100 crore from the sale of satellite and digital rights. Theatrical collections will only be additional profits. The rest depends on the content of the film.fifthMAds
“Given that there is no hype, even if the film is decent, it should do well at the box office,” Gowthaman said.