Cinema theatres owners have much reasons for cheer as they had the best Onam season this year after the outbreak of COVID-19 with Tamil film Jailer, starring Rajinikanth, and Malayalam film RDX bringing in the crowds to the theatres.
The revival in the fortunes of theatre owners comes after four bleak Onam seasons, with theatres in the State remaining closed for two of those due to the pandemic.
According to figures from the Film Exhibitors’ United Organisation of Kerala (FEUOK), Jailer, which released on August 10, continued to do steady business through Onam with a number of houseful shows. The gross collection for the film has crossed ₹50 crore, the highest collection for any non-Malayalam release in Kerala.
Kamal Haasan’s Vikram and Kannada film KGF:Chapter 2, both of which released last year, collected above ₹40 crore from the State. Malayalam movie RDX, which had a rather show opening on August 25, picked up fast and has earned more than ₹20 crore from the State till now. But Dulquer Salman’s King of Kotha, which came with much fanfare, had less than expected collections, although it has managed average business thanks to the festival crowd.
“After the COVID-19 outbreak, this was the first Onam season in which theatre owners in the State had something to cheer for. Before Jailer released, many theatres in Kerala were facing a real crisis situation, with some of them even under the threat of imminent closure. But, the situation has completely changed now thanks to two hits,” says K. Vijayakumar, president of FEUOK.
Last year, a total of 177 films released, out of which only a handful raked in profits. This year witnessed an even bigger glut of releases, many of which were forced to go for theatrical release after OTT platforms began insisting on the same before a decision on a streaming deal was taken. Till August end, a total of 150 Malayalam films released this year. But, except for Romancham, which released in February, and 2018, released in May, and RDX now, no film has managed to have significant collections at the box office. It is in this scenario that a non-Malayalam movie has emerged as a winner at the box office and providing atleast temporary relief to theatre owners.
In the past , the Onam season used to witness the release of the biggest Malayalam movies of the year. But, at least since 2018, most of the Malayalam releases during the season have turned out to be disappointments at the box office.
