Kangana Ranaut’s ‘Thalaivii’ to arrive in cinemas on 10 September
Thalaivii will be the third Bollywood release in cinemas post the second covid wave after Akshay Kumar’s Bellbottom and Amitabh Bachchan’s Chehre
New Delhi: Kangana Ranaut’s Thalaivii where she plays late actor-politician J. Jayalalithaa, will arrive in theatres on 10 September. The film that has been shot in Hindi, Tamil and Telugu, has been directed by Vijay and also stars Arvind Swami as MG Ramachandran.
Thalaivii will be the third Bollywood release in cinemas post the second covid wave after Akshay Kumar’s Bellbottom and Amitabh Bachchan’s Chehre, though the film is said to have been waiting for southern regions to open up given its appeal in the market.
Nearly 5,000 of the total 8,000 operational movie screens in India, which reopened by last week when Bellbottom had released, continue to face challenges from muted audience response, discounted tickets and lower sales of food and beverages.
Film trade analysts said theatres may be having to lower ticket prices by at least 25% in the initial weeks, plus their food and beverage sales that contribute up to 28% of overall revenues, may be significantly impacted.
Multiplex chains that are looking at 80-85% of their total screen count now becoming operational, said Maharashtra and Kerala remain the big exceptions where cinemas have not re-opened while Tamil Nadu permitted operations last week onwards.
Akshay Kumar’s spy thriller Bellbottom had made box office collections of around ₹13 crore at the end of its first weekend with some respite thanks to night shows being permitted in Delhi city last Monday onwards, according to trade website Box Office India.
The film did not release in Maharashtra, Assam, Tamil Nadu and Kerala and while the last three would not make much of a difference, the big blow came from Maharashtra whose cinemas remaining shut has led to Kumar’s film losing close to 35% of its business.
Unlock a world of Benefits! From insightful newsletters to real-time stock tracking, breaking news and a personalized newsfeed – it's all here, just a click away! Login Now!