Special shows, especially the early morning shows, have been an important aspect of big-ticket releases in Tamil Nadu. However, in recent times, the Tamil Nadu government cut down on those shows and ordered the theatre owners to follow the four shows per day regulation. With Vijay's much-awaited film, Leo, hitting screens on October 19, the makers requested the government to facilitate a 4 am and a 7 am show on the day of the release, and an extra 7 am show from October 20-24. Taking into consideration the request, and other circumstances, the Tamil Nadu government granted permission to the makers of the film to screen special shows and screen as many as five shows a day for six days.
As per the permission granted, a special show for Leo can be screened by theatre owners on October 19, 20, 21, 22, 23, and 24, with five shows a day.
However, this lead to speculations on social media that this could mark the return of the early morning shows in the State. With the latest Government Order on this matter, it is clear that there will be no early morning shows for Leo, and the first show will start at 9 am and the last show will end at 1.30 am.
Earlier, talking about the GO allowing a special show for the film, Tirupur Subramaniam, film distributor and head of Tamil Nadu's Theatre Owners Association, said, “The granting of special shows will help theatre owners; given it is a festive period and a big film will pull the crowd. I thank the government for this decision.” When asked if they will be taking extra precautions in terms of safety to ensure nothing untoward happens due to overcrowding, he said, “We are selling tickets through online methods, so I think we are covered in that way. I think the crowd will also spread evenly across the shows. Even during Varisu and Thunivu release time, moviegoers behaved normally. We believe that it will continue now as well.”
Throwing some clarity on the timing of the FDFS (First Day First Show), Ruban Mathivanan of GK Cinemas, mentioned that as per condition 14-A of Form ‘C’ license, theatres are permitted to run four shows for a film starting from 9 am. “With the new permission, we can run five shows starting from 9 am. Even though it is a welcome move, it is not as helpful as an early morning FDFS. Since the film itself is 2 hours and 43 minutes long, we need at least 3 hours and 45 minutes for one show. Had they given a 7 am show, it could have helped places with bottleneck traffic conditions. Nevertheless, this decision also helps. We have planned for 9 am, 12.30 pm, 4 pm, 7.30 pm, and 10.55 pm,” said Ruban, who is also planning to employ bouncers and extra security personnel to ensure the safety of the audience. "Ultimately, it is upto every member of the audience to be at their best."
Leo, written and directed by Lokesh Kanagaraj, also stars Trisha, Mysskin, Arjun, Sanjay Dutt, Priya Anand, and Mansoor Ali Khan among others. The film marks the second collaboration of Vijay with Lokesh after Master.
