Has Kamal Haasan shelved his revolutionary plan to make money by releasing Vishwaroopam directly on DTH platform bowing to pressure from theatre owners? While official confirmation was not available from either Vishwaroopam’s makers or the TN Theatre Owners Association late on Tuesday, reliable industry sources said that this was indeed the case.
“Theatre owners said that they will extend full cooperation in releasing Vishwaroopam across the state provided that there was no premiere via DTH,” said a source in the theatre owners association. A partial response appeared as producer-actor Udhayanidhi Stalin tweeted that theatre owners had asked for a 5-week delay between the theatrical release and the DTH release.
However, giving in to pressure from theatre owners might also earn the actor the ire of six DTH operators who picked up the film.
“No one will be willing to pay `1,000 for a film if it releases so much later after the theatrical release. We will only be able to charge our usual showcase cost of `50,” said a representative from a DTH operator. Kamal had pinned hopes of making at least `30-40 crore off the D TH release of Vishwaroopam, which cost `95 crore to make, even as the plan earned opposition from theatre owners and distributors.
Vishwaroopam, which was gearing up for a release by Pongal, may probably release on January 25, by when screens will clear up and enable a larger release. Theatres like Devi Cineplex that started pre-booking had to suspend operations, much to the dismay of Kamal fans.