KOCHI: Going by past experience, it is likely that the uncertainty over the release of Christmas movies, triggered by a dispute between producers and exhibitors, would end after the meeting convened by Cultural Affairs Minister A K Balan at Vadakkencherry on Tuesday, if not, in the days that follow. Already there is widespread allegation from within the film fraternity that the move by the Kerala Film Exhibitors Federation to call strike was a usual gimmick.
This is not for the first time the exhibitors are calling strike ahead of a festival season. “Remember that it is a ‘regular trick’ the exhibitors play since 2011. At the time of ‘other-language’ releases like Ezham Arivu, Velayudham and Ra One they had resorted to the same trick to prevent the release of Malayalam films. Even in 2015, they had called a strike in order to promote other-language movies - when major Malayalam films like Life of Josutty and Ennu Ninte Moitheen were scheduled for release. This year also, the decision to call strike has come when movies like Pulimurugan are doing extraordinary business in theatres,” alleged Producers Association president G Sureshkumar.
According to the producers, the exhibitors had been planning to screen Tamil movie Singham-3, which was earlier scheduled for Christmas release. “For other-language films, the exhibitors get five per cent additional revenue in the first week, which is the reason why they are keen on screening such movies,” according to the producers. The major films charted for Christmas releases include Mohanlal’s Munthirivallikal Thalirkkumbol, Prithviraj’s Ezra, Jayasurya’s Fukri and Dulquer’s Jomonte Suvisheshangal.
Exhibitors Federation president Liberty Basheer said they had been demanding a hike in collection sharing ratio with producers to 55:45 (producers: exhibitors), from the first week of release onwards. “Currently, in the case of a Malayalam film released in an AC theatre in a major town, 60 per cent of the collection (after tax) in the first week will go to the producer. In tier-II towns and non-AC cinema halls, the rate is 65 per cent. In multiplexes, however, the ratio is 55:45. We demand the same ratio be made applicable in theatres run by the Exhibitors Federation,” he added.
The producers, however, stated that the terms and conditions with theatre owners change after the first week. The profit-sharing ratio for AC cinemas in the second week will be 55:45, and it becomes 50:50 by the third week. After ‘hold over’ (if the film does not earn 70 per cent of the revenue from three shows), the revenue sharing ratio will be decided by the exhibitors. “A producer who invest a huge amount to produce, publicise and promote a movie cannot succumb to the exhibitors’ adamant stance,” added Sureshkumar.
Meanwhile, trade analysts believe that the dispute would be sorted out at Tuesday’s meeting.