Slashed
ticket rates – affected and the most affected
Dec
23, 2006
In
an effort to render a helping hand to
the film fraternity and to attract more
viewers to the theatres, the Tamil Nadu
Government has announced its decision
to slash admission rates to theatres all
over Tamil Nadu. While the decision of
the government comes as a boon for the
common man, doubts are raised as to how
far the slash in ticket rate will benefit
the movie’s revenues.
Here
is an analysis of the behind the screens developments
on the Government’s decision to slash rates.
Common
man’s benefit
The rates are slashed to half for
cinema halls and multiplexes in the corporation
limits. This means that the rates of multiplexes
will be accessible to common man. Based on
the revised rate, the entry for A/C theatres
will be Rs. 50, which is quite affordable,
besides 10% of the total seats will be available
for Rs. 10. In non-A/C theatres, the highest
rate will be Rs. 30, where 10% of the total
seats will be available for Rs. 5.
Movies that are likely to be affected
Movies such as Pokkiri, Alwar and Tamiraparani
have already been sold banking on the earlier
ticket rates. The ticket rates earlier were
flexible enough for the theatre owner to fix.
The first two weeks of the release of movies
will see mammoth collections – the period
when theatre owners earn a huge percent of
their revenue.
However, with the slashed rates, the movie has to
run atleast for a certain period of time for the distributors
and theatre owners to witness the revenue that matches
the rate of the movie. This, in turn, might force
the theatre owners to promote the sale of tickets
illegally in black markets. Tickets in black market
are sold at a rate of Rs. 200 – 300 for a hit
movie and this rate would go up on weekends and public
holidays.
While this is the state of medium budget movies, mega
budget movies such as Sivaji and Dasavatharam may
well be affected.
As a result, producers may step into cost cutting
measures following this and it is quite possible that
the paycheck of actors also receive a slash in the
days to come.
The
maintenance factor
Although it is stated that the move will lure
the common man to visit theaters, industry sources
raise suspicion on the same. Maintenance of
theaters also plays an important part in this
regard; theaters should be maintained well enough
to make the movie watching a pleasant experience.
On the other hand, many theatre owners turn
a blind eye even for the upkeep of basic amenities.
Views and opinions
Though this is a welcoming decision this may
not bring in immediate effects, stated Abhirami
Ramanathan. This is a bittersweet medicine,
he added. Another producer stated that the Producers’
Council has not sought other producers’
opinion before arriving at a decision on this.
Kaja
Mohideen has another perspective. This will benefit
the small time movies with minimum budget, he stated.
Theatre owners plan to meet CM
Multiplex owners in the city have decided to meet
the CM with a request to fix special ticket rates
for multiplexes. The maintenance cost of multiplexes
is exorbitant when compared to ordinary theatres.
It is felt that the slashed admit rates may pose threat
to the mere existence of multiplexes in the city.
Verdict
Only time and the release of movies could relate as
to what the announcement has in hold for the fate
of Tamil movies.
