Superstar Rajinikant’s most loyal fans were in for a shock when they checked the online ticket booking apps, just hours before the release of his latest Kaala. Lots of tickets for the movie were available and seats were left unreserved. The theatre owners who scheduled early morning shows anticipating huge crowd turnout too were puzzled as such a lukewarm response to a Rajnikant movie on the release day was something unheard of in Tamil Nadu.
Kaala has registered the record for the lowest pre-release booking for a Rajinikant movie. Usually when the booking for a Rajinikant movie opens, the tickets for two weeks would be sold in advance, within a few hours itself. But tickets were easily available even for the very first show of Kaala. It must be noted that the pre-release booking of Kaala did not even match the booking rate of Vijay’s superhit movie Mersal which released during Diwali.
Until now the Indian cinema industry has shown bullish trends whenever a Rajini movie releases. However, the predictions of the trade pundits turned topsy–turvy with Kaala, the first movie to hit the screens after Rajini’s entry into politics.
Interestingly, the satellite right of the movie was sold for impressive rates. It is reported that Kaala has collected about Rs 75–100 crore just by selling the satellite rights including the rights to stream online. According to market trends, a Rajinikant
movie is expected to make at least Rs 62 crore by selling its distribution rights. However, many distributors were reluctant to take up Rajinikant's latest movie. The movie was distributed on a commission scheme at many places in Tamil Nadu.
It is also reported that the ‘Style Mannan’(king of style) failed to impress the Telugu audience with his unique style which is a rage among his fans. Even though about Rs 33 crore was offered, the distributing rights were not sold there as the makers were not confident enough about the performance of the movie. In Telugu too, the movie was released on commission terms.
Interestingly, Kaala has been released in much less number of screens than Kabali, the superstar’s previous outing with the same director. Kabali was exhibited on 3,000–3,500 screens on the release day while Kaala got limited to 2,000 screens.
According to the cinema industry experts, the decision of the makers to release the movie not during a festival season backfired. However, political analysts say that the superstar’s comments denouncing the protestors of the anti-Sterlite stir in Tuticorin may not have gone down well with the people of Tamil Nadu. Rajini’s stand on the Cauvery crisis too proved costly for 'Kaala' in Karnataka. Owing to the protests against the actor in Karnataka, the movie has not been released in the state.
Meanwhile, sources close to the filmmakers say that despite the bumpy start, the collections of Kaala is expected to go up in the coming weeks, especially during the time of Eid.
