Tamil movies continue to remain a saving grace for the crisis-ridden cinemas in Kerala.
Actor Rajinikanth’s Jailer directed by Nelson is the latest in the basket of Tamil movies that had helped the theatres in Kerala to stay afloat in the tough times. As per estimates by the Film Exhibitors’ United Organisation of Kerala (FEUOK), the movie earned an estimated Kerala gross collection of about ₹4.5 crore on the opening day.
“The hype seems to have paid off as the response from across the State has been enthusiastic. The film is being screened in around 350 screens in Kerala,” said K. Vijayakumar, president of FEUOK.
The movie exhibition sector in the State, which has a workforce of about 12,000 employees, had plunged into a crisis recently after the majority of releases in Malayalam tanked at the box-office. Nearly 25% of the theatre owners had incurred bank loan arrears and nearly 10 cinemas were on the verge of closure, according to the FEUOK.
“Only two movies – Romancham and 2018 – made it big at the box-office since the start of 2023. Even amidst the bad run of over 90% of the releases in Malayalam, the theatres witnessed a decent run for Tamil movies, including Ponniyin Selvan: 2, Varisu and Thunivu. It is not just big-budget movies in Tamil that are making an impact here. Filmmaker Vignesh Raja’s Por Thozhil, starring Sarath Kumar and Ashok Selvan, had also seen packed audiences following its word-of-mouth publicity,” said Mr. Vijayakumar.
B. Rakesh, secretary of the Kerala Film Producers’ Association (KFPA), admitted the worrying downward trend while stating that only two films could be termed a super hit out of the nearly 125 Malayalam movies that reached the big screen since January. “The business prospects have taken a hit, especially after the drastic slide in the sale of satellite and digital rights,” he said.
