Suriya’s next blockbuster film ‘Soorarai Pottru’ is set to release on Amazon Prime Video during 30th October. A few days ago, the central government had allowed cinema theaters to open from October 15th onwards as part of their ‘re-opening scheme of all public/private entertainment institutions’ under the Unlock 5.0 initative. But there has been no retraction or announcement from either Suriya or the film director, but it might already be too late to change the digital release at this point.
Suriya has already sold his movie’s release rights to Amazon for Rs. 45 crore and has made another additional Rs.40 crore for satellite rights, dubbing rights as well as for remake rights. Trying to change the mode of release could prove to be disastrous for Suriya, as there is no guarantee how the crowds are going to respond to the theaters finally opening.
During the lockdown, film theaters have been facing ridiculous losses. Tamil Nadu Theatres and Multiplexes Owners Association president Tirupur M Shubramaniam says a single theater owner suffers a loss of Rs. 2 Lakh per month, while a multiplex owner incurs a loss of over Rs. 15 Lakhs per month. The state has 1112 screens, which includes big and small theaters, in urban cities and rural villages, with over 25000 employees now having to survive with pay cuts and no job opportunities. Close to 100 theaters are on the verge of closure as a result of the pandemic lockdown.
With no financial aid from the government and the huge property tax still required to be paid, many theater owners believe the opening of theaters during mid-October has been announced too-little too-late. With films such as ‘Soorarai Pottru’ and ‘V’ having shifted their releases to OTTs (among others), the relationship between theater owners and prominent film producers have also soured.
At a time when the film fraternity should be uniting and supporting everyone, the theater owners have been left in the dust while film producers have gone with the new kid on the block (OTTs) when given a promise of profits, says Subramaniam. T Siva, the film producer who works with the husband-wife duo of Suriya and Jyothika, have said that OTTs are not a permanent solution. They are needed currently as theaters are not open, and the release of these film projects will help many producers to alleviate their heavy loan burdens.
Veteran film director Bharthiraja however doesn’t mince his words when speaking out against the theater owners. He says that theater owners make their money by showing their material (films) on the big screen. They also earn extra money through online booking, levying parking, stall fees and expensive food courts, which the filmmakers are denied a percentage of. On top of that, theater owners have started placing demands on film makers, and will only display the films if their conditions are met; conditions like – Item song, Superstar actors, cameos, ‘enough masala’, etc. This makes it difficult for small time film makers to make the cut and films like ‘Lock Up’ don’t even get looked at twice by theater owners. This double standard has to be stamped out before any films can be showcased in a movie theater.
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