Friday, January 1, 2021

Mohanlal avoids competition with Master for Prithviraj


 Did Mohanlal- Antony Perumbavoor make a mistake in agreeing to releasing `Drishyam 2’  on Amazon Prime when theaters in Kerala opens on January 5th ?. The trade circles say that Antony did the right thing as on many counts the decision is a wise one. The occupancy capacity allowed is 50% as per COVID norms. This coupled with the release of Vijay’s Master on Jan 13th on a wide scale in Kerala will hit both the films badly as screens will be divided. Was the decision to avoid a face-off with Master due to Prithviraj buying the Kerala distribution ?

Drishyam was a blockbuster hit and remade in Tamil ( Papanassan with Kamal Haasan), Telugu ( Venkatesh) and Hindi( Ajay Devgn). The sequel with the same star cast and director is no doubt a crowd puller in Kerala as the audience expect to see how the two children , now grown-up face the threat from the past. The teaser has raised the expectation bar as the views are phenomenal.

Trade circles say that a Lal film cannot be bought by distributors and shown at 50% occupancy. The time taken to recover the money with profits will be double the time taken in normal times. By this time, pirated version will start streaming on online sites and kill further business. Added to this, Vijay is the most liked Tamil hero in Kerala and Master will divide theaters especially in the Districts along the Kerala- Tamil Nadu border . This will cut into the Drishyam 2 business. Whereas Master which is a dubbed film with no  competition, can take as many as theaters possible and practically give the distributor the effect of a 100% capacity.

Antony Perumbavoor was able to clinch the deal with Amazon as the budget was medium and the money offered was what he would have made in normal times. Sources say that the satellite rights are with the producer. Yet another reason is that actor Prithviraj who acquired the Master ‘s  Kerala distribution is a close friend of Lal – Antony combo. Film trade circles were told that after the local body elections, State will announce the opening of theaters. Due to election protocols, the outcome of theater – officials on exemption from building tax and power bill levied during COVID times could not be made public.

With COVID cases daily hovering at close to 5000 per day, it has to be seen whether the public will patronize cinema halls in Kerala. Master would be a test for other distributors to understand the new normal. Master is distributed by Listin Stepen of Magic Frames in Travancore area and Fortune films in Cochin- Malabar area.  Said Mohanlal- “We know viewers have waited patiently for the sequel – ‘Drishyam 2’. It is a labour of love, we hope to rise to the expectations of our die-hard fans. So sit back and enjoy from the safety of your homes with your family and loved ones,” Written and directed by Jeetu Joseph, Drishyam 2 also stars Meena, Siddique, Asha Sharath, Murali Gopy, Ansiba, Esther, and Saikumar.

 

Did Mohanlal- Antony Perumbavoor make a mistake in agreeing to releasing `Drishyam 2’  on Amazon Prime when theaters in Kerala opens on January 5th ?. The trade circles say that Antony did the right thing as on many counts the decision is a wise one. The occupancy capacity allowed is 50% as per COVID norms. This coupled with the release of Vijay’s Master on Jan 13th on a wide scale in Kerala will hit both the films badly as screens will be divided.

Drishyam was a blockbuster hit and remade in Tamil ( Papanassan with Kamal Haasan), Telugu ( Venkatesh) and Hindi( Ajay Devgn). The sequel with the same star cast and director is no doubt a crowd puller in Kerala as the audience expect to see how the two children , now grown-up face the threat from the past. The teaser has raised the expectation bar as the views are phenomenal.

Trade circles say that a Lal film cannot be bought by distributors and shown at 50% occupancy. The time taken to recover the money with profits will be double the time taken in normal times. By this time, pirated version will start streaming on online sites and kill further business. Added to this, Vijay is the most liked Tamil hero in Kerala and Master will divide theaters especially in the Districts along the Kerala- Tamil Nadu border . This will cut into the Drishyam 2 business. Whereas Master which is a dubbed film with no  competition, can take as many as theaters possible and practically give the distributor the effect of a 100% capacity.

Antony Perumbavoor was able to clinch the deal with Amazon as the budget was medium and the money offered was what he would have made in normal times. Sources say that the satellite rights are with the producer. Yet another reason is that actor Prithviraj who acquired the Master ‘s  Kerala distribution is a close friend of Lal – Antony combo. Film trade circles were told that after the local body elections, State will announce the opening of theaters. Due to election protocols, the outcome of theater – officials on exemption from building tax and power bill levied during COVID times could not be made public.

With COVID cases daily hovering at close to 5000 per day, it has to be seen whether the public will patronize cinema halls in Kerala. Master would be a test for other distributors to understand the new normal. Master is distributed by Listin Stepen of Magic Frames in Travancore area and Fortune films in Cochin- Malabar area.  Said Mohanlal- “We know viewers have waited patiently for the sequel – ‘Drishyam 2’. It is a labour of love, we hope to rise to the expectations of our die-hard fans. So sit back and enjoy from the safety of your homes with your family and loved ones,” Written and directed by Jeetu Joseph, Drishyam 2 also stars Meena, Siddique, Asha Sharath, Murali Gopy, Ansiba, Esther, and Saikumar.

 

No comments:

Featured Post

Nayanthara - Malavika in song with Prabhas - Sreeleela with Sivakarthikeyan - Kunchacko in Prabhas - Sandeep film -

  As Prabhas Raja Saab is his next after Kalki there is huge excitement. He handles comedy in this film. Niddhi Agarwal is the heroine. Now ...