There are films, and then, there are cinematic events. Rajinikanth-starrer Jailer, is all set for release today, and industry insiders have enough reason to be excited. “This level of excitement for a non-festival release, even for a big star’s film, is huge,” says Rakesh Gowthaman, the proprietor of Vettri Cinemas. He further adds, “We are fully booked till August 15, and I understand it is the same with other theatres in the city as well. The last Rajini film to have this level of craze was Petta (2019), which was a festival release.”
Tiruppur Subramaniam, veteran film distributor and the head of Tamil Nadu's Theatre Owners Association, shares that Jailer will be playing in around 900 screens in Tamil Nadu. He says, “The last films to get as many screens were PS2 and Vikram. Varisu and Thunivu had good buzz too, but they got released at the same time. Jailer, however, is without competition."
Ruban Mathivanan, the managing director of GK Cinemas, was surprised by how quickly tickets got sold out. “The online advance booking was finished in a matter of 10-15 minutes. I have requests pouring in from all over the place for tickets, from friends to corporates. The last time there was such anticipation for a Rajinikanth film was for Kabali (2016).”
It is to be noted that when Jailer got announced in February 2022, Nelson faced a storm of criticism, following the debacle of Beast. Enthusiasm for Jailer was on the wane, as the project went on the floors. On how the film managed to rise in stature since then, Ruban explains, “I attribute the hype and magic to the two singles, Hukum and Kaavala, the film's teaser, and finally, Rajinikanth’s audio launch speech.” This opinion is echoed by every other theatre owner we spoke to.
Rakesh believes that the last film to enjoy such pre-release hype was, rather ironically, Beast. Jailer is expected to be a big comeback for not just Nelson but for Rajinikanth and Sun Pictures as well. "All of them are coming off disappointing films like Beast and Annathe.”
However, while the number of advance bookings for Jailer is the highest for any film this year, Rakesh throws in a word of caution. "While the advance booking is extraordinary for theatres in and around cities, the booking past the first day is still average in theatres down South. That is the effect of Jailer being a non-festive release.”
With the hype reaching pre-COVID levels for a big star release in TN, theatres across the country are all warming up for a busy time. Gautam Dutta, Co-CEO, PVR INOX Limited, says, “The movie is being screened in more than 3,000 screens across the country with more than 2,000 shows scheduled in PVR-INOX Theatres, considering the diversified audiences it will attract due to its dubbed versions in Telugu, Malayalam, Kannada and Hindi.”
With the increasing dominance of streaming platforms, the relevance of theatres continues be a topic of hot debate. The hype around Jailer and the craze to acquire opening day tickets, suggest that all isn't lost for theatres, not while stars like Rajinikanth are able to attract footfalls.