CHENNAI: This might be the most exciting week for film buffs in the post-Covid era with two big-budget films — Vijay’s Beast, directed by hitmaker Nelson Dilipkumar, and Yash’s KGF: Chapter 2, the sequel to the 2018 Kannada film — set to hit the marquee.
While biggies like Valimai, Etharkum Thuninthavan and RRR breathed life back into the theatre business, the release of Beast and KGF 2 is the first major box-office clash in a while. While a ‘clash’ bears a negative connotation among Vijay’s devoted fans, Mariyappan of Albert Cinemas called it “healthy” as far as the trade is concerned.
“Festival seasons help the film business a lot.” Mariyappan said advance booking trends for both films were strong. “We have allocated the bigger screen for Beast. The bookings have been great, with all four first day shows of Beast sold out instantly. We will play five shows during the holidays. They are all getting booked out as we speak. KGF 2 is also doing well on the online booking front.”
Ruban Mathevan of GK Cinemas was pleasantly surprised at the buzz surrounding the Yash-starrer. “Bookings are fantastic for both films, but KGF 2 has really taken us by surprise,” he said. The big question is if Beast’s opening will surpass that of Ajith’s Valimai, which registered one of the biggest opening day numbers in recent times. “Yes, comfortably,” Ruban said. “Beast has the advantage of playing solo on the first day, as it’s being released a day ahead of KGF 2.”
Distributor and president of the Tamil Nadu Theatres’ Association Tirupur Subramaniam said Beast will be released on more than 800 screens, while KGF 2 will be shown on 250 screens. “A solo release would have resulted in a larger screen count, and, consequently, higher gross collections, but a huge opening is still on the cards.”