CHENNAI: Kabali-the word of the week. Anything and everything surrounding this movie has been making news with tea and smoking breaks becoming discussion grounds.
Promotions for the movie have been scaling new heights, literally sky high, with Air asia actually painting Rajinikanth's Kabali avatar on their airplane. Many brands have associated themselves with the movie, coming up with creative merchandise to promote themselves along with the movie.
Fox star studios which is releasing the movie in more than 1,000 screens in the North Indian market has jumped on the promotional bandwagon with a Kabali double-decker bus plying in Mumbai.
According to reports, the movie is expected to release in more than 5,000 screens worldwide. This includes many firsts including a release in the prestigious 2,000-seater Rex cinemas in France. But demand has been overtaking supply.
The tickets for the movie releasing in 400 screens in the US were sold out in just two hours. Statistics are similar in almost every place where the movie is releasing. In Tamil Nadu, tickets are being sold in a matter of minutes. AGS cinemas faced a server crash when they opened bookings. Reports say SPI Cinemas which is playing the film on its 27 Chennai screens has already sold all tickets for the first three days.
Many corporates have bulk-booked tickets for their employees. Some new-age entrepreneurs are even sponsoring tickets for their employees. Suresh Sambandam, founder CEO of software platform company Orangescape, is planning to watch the 6 AM show with his 100-odd employees. Asked if this was a motivational strategy to pep up his staff, Sambandam says his staff have been working real hard and everyone needs a break. "But more than just motivation, we want to celebrate as Rajni fans and this might probably earn me the cool boss tag."
Opus water proofing, a Bangalore based company has declared a holiday on Friday just to avoid the sick leaves and mass bunks. The company's Head-Operations Manoj Pushparaj said that they have used their connections to book tickets for employees and associates to enjoy the first day show.
For the first time, five-star hotels in Bangalore have arranged screenings on their premises for four shows 10 am, 2 pm, 6pm and 10 pm. The bookings can be made through the site bookmyshow.com and cost between Rs 1,300 to Rs 1,400, inclusive of food and beverages.
Usually movies of big stars are released during some festival to cash in on the holiday and extended weekend collection. But only a Thalaivar film can turn a normal day into a festival. With such expectations running high, the movie is touted to shatter all known collection records and set the box office on Neruppu da.