CM Vijay's first SOP for film industry: 5 shows a day in the opening week

Chief Minister Vijay's decision granting theatres permission to screen five shows a day for the first seven days of a Tamil film’s release has been widely welcomed by industry stakeholders who believe it will help them maximise revenue during the crucial opening week of a film’s theatrical run.Earlier, theatres could screen up to four regular shows a day, while an additional special show was permitted during festivals and government holidays. Further, the new order will do away with the trend of theatres seeking separate permission from the government to screen five shows a day during the initial week of release, weekends and holidays.‘Move will help maximise box- office revenue’Exhibitor CT Valliappan of Kamala Cinemas says this move “will help the industry maximise revenue for all films, which is very good for producers, distributors and theatre owners.”Producer G Dhananjheyan agrees and adds, “We had been requesting the government to make screening five regular shows (from 9am to 2am) a standard practice. This will help us generate higher revenue, especially with big-ticket outings that release with high expectations.”No more waiting for last-minute approval: ExhibitorAnkitha Prakash of Varadaraja Cinemas says the uncertainty around the GO for an additional show meant theatres couldn’t sell tickets in advance. “There have been times where we’ve had to refund tickets and plan two schedules — for four and five shows — in anticipation of delay in approvals. But now, that uncertainty has been eliminated.”Five shows are possible; timings need a rethink: Industry insidersWhile Dhananjheyan believes the existing window — 9am to 1.30am (16 hours and 30 minutes) — is sufficient to accommodate five screenings, some stakeholders point towards operational challenges.“Some films run for up to three hours. If we add 20 minutes each for audience entry and exit, and a 10-minute interval, each show roughly requires four hours, making it 20 hours for five shows,” explains distributor Karthik Ravi Varma. “The first show can be moved to 6am instead of extending late-night show timings, which will help office-goers catch the film without having to take leave,” he suggests.Ankitha echoes the concern, “We need a buffer time in-between shows for the audience to exit and the theatres to be cleaned. If shows could begin at 7am or 8am, it would be comfortable operationally.”