█▌▌Industry Hits,All Time Blockbusters & Top Grossers ◆ A Retrospect Of KBO Across The Years ▌ █▌

This is an interesting article by Sridhar Pillai on how business in Tamil Nadu's distribution areas have changed over years

As written last week, the film business model is undergoing a sea change with some territories more affected than others. This week, our areas of focus are Tiruchy-Thanjavur (TT), Madurai-Ramanathapuram (MR) and Tirunelveli-Kanyakumari (TK), which are among the regions that have witnessed much transformation over the last few years.

With a large number of screens in rural areas, TT was once a highly profitable area, with Tiruchy, Thanjavur and Kumbakonam being the only urban centres. In early 2000, there were about 38 stations where films were screened, with as many as nine releasing centres. After a film completed its run in these release stations, prints would be handed to the smaller towns, known as shifting stations, and finally, to village theatres or C stations. Today, there are only 28 stations left in the Tiruchy area, and films get released simultaneously across all areas, due to the influx of digital screening. Likewise, MR used to be one of the biggest in Tamil Nadu, with clearly demarcated B and C stations. This is where, until 2005, big films collected more from shifting centres (B & C stations) than releasing stations. But these days, the entire run of films gets over in all the stations within two to three weeks from the date of its release. It is the same story in TK, the smallest area in the state, with the least number of screens and not a single multiplex. Naganathan, who used to run his family-owned Selvam Theatre in Kumbakonam (TT area), says, “Earlier, competition among theatres would result in a lot of them losing big money, thanks to having to pay huge amounts as MG (Minimum Guarantee) amount to distributors. Syndicates have now taken over these theatres; they have monopolised the business and control 10 to 30 screens in each region. So, a Chennai-based producer talks directly to them, and fixes terms and conditions, without going through a traditional distributor.”

Old-time theatre owners, who used to pride themselves by taking pictures on the opening day of a Rajinikanth film against the background of their single screens, have moved on. These owners faced heavy losses when the MG system prevailed. They handed over the running of the theatre to middlemen, who later became powerful syndicates, who could control a large number of screens in a particular area. It is these middlemen who decide the programming, fix the terms and conditions, and pay a monthly rental to theatre owners who, in most cases, is happy to run the canteen. Some of the syndicates’ bosses have become regional satraps in these areas, and as a result, the role of distributors has become extinct.

Advertising
Advertising
In Madurai and Trichy, modern multiplexes like Inox (Madurai) and Maris (Tiruchy) have changed the way business is done. The multiplexes run in accordance with the government rule, without charging higher ticket rates, and do not play films on MG. This has resulted in many theatres across south Tamil Nadu refusing to pay MG amounts, as they find it difficult to recoup their investments. A Madurai-based veteran distributor says, “Before the advent of multiplexes, smaller stations used to charge upwards of Rs. 200 during the release weekend of a big film, even though the government-stipulated rate was only Rs. 40. Today, southern Tamil Nadu is well-connected by road to interior areas, and has good public transport; so the audiences from villages flock to the nearest big-town multiplexes and watch films at government rates in better comfort.” Internet penetration in southern Tamil Nadu is not quite what it can be, but has still managed to create an audience for new-generation Tamil films and its stars. In traditional rural areas in Tiruchy and Madurai, where previously only star-driven (Rajinikanth, Kamal Haasan, Vijay, Ajith) films had an advantage, actors like Dhanush, Sivakarthikeyan, Vijay Sethupathi and Sasikumar are gaining in popularity. A few years ago, there was a clear difference in the box-office collections between an urban film and one that simply targeted the B and C stations. Now, not so much.

Let’s take a recent example. Madhavan’s Irudhi Suttru was made as a multiplex film, but became a hit throughout Tamil Nadu and grossed around Rs. 20 crore, with a theatrical share of around Rs.10 crore (tax-free). The collections from the rest of Tamil Nadu were as impressive as those from Madhavan’s stronghold—the 3 Cs (Chennai, Chengalpet and Coimbatore).

Says Madurai-based producer-turned-director, C. V. Kumar, “The films I produced, which were said to be multiplex films, have done well even at the lowest levels in Madurai and Trichy areas; people are appreciating good-quality content.”

Director-turned-actor Sasikumar has a loyal fan base, because he makes area-specific films with stories set in southern Tamil Nadu. In fact, today, the maximum number of important character actors in Tamil cinema, like Samuthirakani, Soori, Kali Venkat, Imman Annachi, and M. S. Bhaskar, are all from the southern districts.

Producer P. Madan of Escape Artists says, “Today, a new-generation director can make a film without much interference from the distributors and financiers, without having to pander to the taste of B and C audiences. The way business is done in TT, MR and TK has changed decisively.”

 

Sreedhar pillai on coimbatore-Neelgiri distribution area


The Coimbatore-Nilgiris area has been making rapid strides when it comes to box-office collections. In the 1980s and 90s, Coimbatore was third in total box-office gross figures, after NSC and Madurai area, but today, it is the fastest-growing territory, and number two in the state, after the Chengalpet area.

The Coimbatore-Nilgiris area stretches from Erode in the east to KK Chavadi in the west, bordering Kerala, Udumalpet in the south, touching Madurai district to Thalavady in the north, bordering Karnataka. Surprisingly, the area has just 159 screens, with Nilgiris having just one screen in Ooty (reduced from 32 screens in the 1980s). The top five collecting centres in the area are Coimbatore, Tirupur, Erode, Pollachi and Udumalpet, an indication that it is a mix of both urban and rural audiences.

Coimbatore is the only area in Tamil Nadu that has no shifting centres, as all the screens are releasing stations. A big film sees a simultaneous release in as many as 65 to 75 screens. Also, this area does not encourage the Minimum Guarantee system. From this year, they have even stopped making advance payments to producers and distributors.

A prominent theatre owner, Balasubramaniyam of Baba Complex (Archana and Darsana), Coimbatore, says, “In the 80s and 90s, around 90-100 films used to release every year, and a hit film could run for a minimum of 50 days. Today, with the digital revolution, more than 200 films are releasing every year. If you have noticed, the star system in Tamil cinema itself is crumbling. For example, Irudhi Suttru and Sethupathi collected more from my complex than highly-hyped big-hero films that I played a few months ago. What matters most is content. In this scenario, where is the need for MG or even an advance?”

Tirupur Subramaniam, who controls 58 screens in Coimbatore, including the newly-opened Sri Sakthi multiplex in Tirupur, says, “Film business is doing well in this area, because it has the best screens in Tamil Nadu, with good occupancy due to government-stipulated ticket rates. In fact, in some of the screens, the rates are kept lower than government-approved rates to draw more viewers. I hear reports that tickets are sold at higher rates on the opening weekend of a big-hero film in other areas; it only helps the hero to inflate his box-office collection figures and create a halo around him.”

Subramaniam feels audiences in the Coimbatore territory watch more films per year than other areas, due to affordable ticket rates and the quality of the theatres. “The maximum number of AC theatres outside of Chennai city is in Coimbatore area. There is a large population of working-class and middle-class people, for whom watching a film in a cinema theatre is still the main source of entertainment. Even Hindi and Malayalam films are doing well here, due to the presence of a huge migrant workforce and a large number of educational institutions.”

According to a top Tamil film director, “The audience of the 3Cs — Chennai, Chengalpet and Coimbatore — are largely responsible for the change happening in the content that is coming out of Kollywood. Today, we can experiment within the commercial format and make films like Aviyal and Visaranai, as they have an an audience.”

Many in the trade say that Coimbatore has the potential to become the number one territory in Tamil Nadu if the government allows the conversion of single screens to multiple screens. Balasubramaniyam says, “In the 80s and 90s, screens with large capacity were the order of the day. Today, for most films, especially on working days, not more than 150 to 200 people come to watch a film. That’s why I am in the process of converting my theatre into a five-screen multiplex.” Subramaniam adds, “I don’t understand why the authorities are not giving us permission to convert an existing 800 to 1000-seater theatre to a three or four-screen multiplex. We are hoping that the new government in Tamil Nadu will help, and hope that the Coimbatore area gets as many as 300 to 400 screens in the next two years.” Meanwhile, a new mall multiplex with 10 screens, including an IMAX screen, is coming up in Coimbatore city, and another four-screen multiplex in Gobichettipalayam. These are good days in Coimbatore.

https://www.thehindu.com/features/c...e-collections-big-business/article8374463.ece

 

Sridhar pillai about North and South Arcot+ Chemgalpet (NSC)

Until five years ago, North and South Arcot, along with Chengalpet (also known as NSC), garnered almost 45 to 50 per cent of the total theatrical collections of a Tamil film. The area used to extend from the Kathipara junction (within Chennai city) to Tiruppattur in Vellore district, bordering Salem. With Chennai city developing into a metro, Chengalpet area became a suburb. The advent of multiplexes then further changed the film business in this area. Today, North and South Arcot are individual territories, but marketed jointly. In terms of box-office collection, South Arcot grosses slightly higher than North Arcot, with Pondicherry, Cuddalore, and Villupuram being the top collecting centres. And in the North, Vellore, Tiruvannamalai and Gudiyatham see maximum business.

Traditionally, right from the time of MGR, the NSC area has been determining an actor’s star power. Rajinikanth became a superstar and was sought after in the 1990s because of the success of his mass films in this area. Even today, the price at which a star film is sold in NSC determines the ranking of that particular hero.

Third-party business of Rajinikanth films in the 1990s and early 2000 first started in NSC, and this was his goldmine. In short, a distributor paying a huge amount procured the NSC territory as a whole, and started selling it to sub-distributors at an even higher rate. The sub-distributor took MG (Minimum Guarantee) amounts from theatres and made his profit. In some cases, individuals or third parties (mostly fans who were not connected to the business) paid the high MG amounts, expecting to recover the cost by hiking ticket prices illegally. This resulted in huge losses for films like Baba, Kuselan and, more recently, Lingaa

Rajinikanth has been trying to prevent films from being sold at unreasonable prices by middlemen in the NSC area, and it is expected to change with the release of Kabali.

Today, the business model in the area has changed, as Chengalpet is well-connected to multiplexes in Chennai that refuse to pay MG amounts.

Srinivasan, popularly known as S-Pictures Seenu, a leading distributor and exhibitor, who runs around 60 screens in the North and South Arcot area says, “Like in all other areas in Tamil Nadu, the business of cinema has changed. We do not encourage the payment of MGs anymore. Today, a film releases in 50 to 60 screens in this area, and there are hardly any shifting centres. 60 to 70 per cent of the entire collection of a film comes in the first three days of a film’s opening.”

There is a shortage of theatres in this area, with Cuddalore having only three screens, and thus, small films do not get released here. Seenu adds, “These days, only well-maintained, air-conditioned theatres with proper restrooms and canteens attract viewers. There is also a large number of private educational institutes in this area and this has increased the popularity of Hindi and Telugu films here. Today, content is of prime importance, as films like Sethupathi are having a better return on investment than certain star films. We are releasing Vijay Sethupathi’s Kadhalum Kadanthu Pogum in a record 55 screens in North and South.” With multiplexes being planned in Pondicherry (SPI Cinemas) and Villupuram (which is being negotiated by two major national chains) the market is set to change even further.

Salem was once the B and C heartland of Tamil cinema business. One of the reasons why B and C stations are disappearing here is because they are not well-maintained and collections are meagre.

New multiplex

A leading Salem-based distributor says, “Collections of any film are the lowest in Salem as the condition of many theatres is dismal. The paying capacity of the audiences’ (mainly rural poor) is limited, with some areas still pricing their tickets between Rs. 25 and 30. In some of the shifting cetres in the region, a distributor's share is as low as Rs. 7000 to 10,000.”

But even Salem is changing as more multiplexes are opening in rural Tamil Nadu. Today, the producer of a mass film cannot claim that his film will do better in B and C centres. It is the first three-day opening that matters, as proved recently by Aranmanai 2 and Miruthan. Both these mass films, targeting the so-called B and C audiences, took fabulous openings across all stations, before they lost steam and collections dropped drastically. It’s loud and clear that Tamil Nadu as a whole is now emerging as a single urban market.



https://www.thehindu.com/features/c...decided-the-fate-of-a-star/article8346003.ece

 

Sreedhar pillai on chennai distribution circuit


Chennai city and its audiences set the trends in Kollywood, influencing how cinema is looked at in other regions. Actors and technicians who work in Kollywood live in and around Chennai city and its suburbs, which ironically enough is the smallest area in Tamil film business. As a matter of convenience, Tamil film producers and directors prefer to shoot in and around Chennai city. Traditionally, the city has been the hub of all South Indian regional film production, before other non-Tamil film productions migrated to their respective state capitals.

After Mumbai, Chennai is India’s second-biggest film capital, and has been in the forefront of innovation and change. Tamil film production is completely carried out in Chennai, which also has some of the best screens in the country. Till early 2000, Kollywood commercial cinema and its makers were targeting the small towns and rural areas known in trade parlance as B and C centres.

In the 1980s and 1990s, there existed a clear divide between a ‘class’ film and a ‘mass’ film. ‘Class’ films used to work only in Madras, as the city was called then, and to a certain extent, in Coimbatore area. For example, a Mani Ratnam film used to collect 85 per cent of its lifetime theatrical share from Chennai city and Coimbatore, while a ‘mass’ movie from a director like S. P. Muthuraman got the lion’s share of its gross collections from other centres. Says veteran producer ‘Sathya Jyothi’ Thyagarajan, “I still remember that my production Moondram Pirai (1982) made its maximum distributor share from Chennai and Coimbatore, while my father-in-law R. M. Veerappan, who produced Baasha (1995), made almost 90 per cent of its total gross from outside of Chennai and Coimbatore. But now, everything in filmmaking revolves around Chennai city and its suburbs in Chengalpet area.”

Today, most films cater to the taste of Chennai audiences, who seem open to new ideas. Earlier, all the stars — from MGR to Rajinikanth — wanted to be known as a ‘B-and-C’ star. Now though, the recent crop of hit films has changed this scenario, with top stars playing sophisticated urban characters and coming out with punch lines in English.

Now, popular heroes like Ajith, Vijay and Suriya, enjoy a phenomenal opening due to the fan-following they command among the urban Chennai youth audiences. The internet and social media have helped expand their reach.. Almost all upcoming actors make it a point to establish their on social media, to try and stay connected with these urban fans.

Abirami Ramanathan, a leading Chennai-based exhibitor and distributor, says, “Earlier, a Tamil film would get released only in three theatres, situated in Mount Road, Purasavakkam and North Madras area respectively. Only in the 1990s did Kodambakkam get added to this list. Films used to run for a minimum of 25 days, up to 100, or in some cases, 175 days. I was the first to break the system and release Rajinikanth’s Sivaji (2007) in 19 screens across Chennai city. Presently, a big film releases in 30 to 35 screens in the city, with the maximum run time for a hit film being about 25 days.”

Currently, in Chennai city, there are very few single screens, as most of them have made way for multiplexes. Audiences have shifted to multiplexes due to the comfort they offer, better projection systems, and affordable and uniformly priced ticket rates.

Chennai multiplexes have the highest occupancy in the country. Says Archana Kalpathi of AGS Cinemas, “Our newly opened multiplex in T. Nagar is doing well, as Chennai audiences want the right ambience and movie experience at affordable rates.” Now, even Bangalore wants to follow Chennai by having a cap on cinema ticket prices. Another driving factor is that films in other languages (English, Hindi, Telugu, and Malayalam) are becoming more popular in the Chennai market. The multiplexes in the city have a wide variety of films on offer, which has helped the market to grow.

Swaroop Reddy of Sathyam Cinemas, the market leader in Chennai city, concludes, “During the last decade, restrictions on the number of release screens have changed; there has been rapid modernisation of existing screens and also a growth in the number of multiplexes. Chennai has always been a movie-crazy city and the affordable pricing of tickets has resulted in high footfalls. Technology has also played an important role, with audiences preferring to watch movies on screens equipped with 4K projection, Dolby Atmos sound system and IMAX screens. The future looks exciting and Chennai looks set to become an even bigger market.”

https://www.thehindu.com/features/cinema/Chennai-Cinema-crazy-city/article14176385.ece

 

കാലാപാനി
വർണപകിട്ട്
ഇന്ദ്രജാലം?

 

Butterflies BB aavum Appoos,Ekalavyan level gross undallo

 

കേരളത്തിൽ ടോട്ടൽ എത്ര റിലീസിംഗ് centers ഉണ്ട്??

 

ദുരന്തങ്ങൾ ആണെന്ന് അറിയാം.... But ഇതിൽ comparatively bo പെർഫോമൻസ് എങ്ങനെയാണ്??

 

Chathurangam > Thandavam > Onnaman...
Thandavam and Onnaman bumper initial aayirunnu...

 

Ithil ettavum kaattu durantham Onnaman thanne, hammo