By Janani K: Superstar Rajinikanth is an enigma! Irrespective of whether he delivers a hit or a flop, he is always celebrated. Now, after the underwhelming ‘Annaatthe’, Rajinikanth is back with ‘Jailer’, which marks his first collaboration with Nelson Dilipkumar. As the film’s release is just a week away, the excitement in the air is quite palpable. And with the showcase being released on August 2, the hype has increased multifold.
The showcase/trailer turned out to be the much-needed hype for ‘Jailer’, which was quite low on promotions. Ahead of the big release, trade expert Ramesh Bala shares his insights on the Day 1 prediction and the effect of no early morning shows.
POSITIVE BUZZ FOR ‘JAILER’
Superstar Rajinikanth is one of the most celebrated stars in Indian cinema, especially in Tamil Nadu. After ‘Annatthe’, fans are eagerly waiting for him to bounce back. And the trailer of ‘Jailer’ has set the tone right for them. It showcased Rajinikanth being in his zone. His stylish antics, powerful grin and some great action moments have increased the buzz for the trailer.
Speaking exclusively to IndiaToday.in, Ramesh said, “The three songs, showcase and the audio launch speech have worked well with the audience. Rajinikanth has a solid fan base from 6 to 60. So, fans will lap up the film and celebrate Thalaivar. ‘Annaathe’ was a rural entertainer and it could not have attracted people of different tastes. But, ‘Jailer’ has this urban flavour to it with guns and swords. Hence, the advance booking looks promising.”
The audio launch will be aired on Sun Television on August 6. According to Ramesh, it will be the last leg of the promotion for ‘Jailer’, which will reach crores of people.
Here’s ‘Jailer’ showcase:
NO EARLY MORNING SHOWS FOR ‘JAILER’
After the ‘Thunivu’ and ‘Varisu’ clash in January 2023, which resulted in the death of a fan, early morning shows in Tamil Nadu have been cancelled. For ‘Jailer’ too, there are no 4 am or 7 am shows and the first show will begin at 9 am across the state. With a four-day opening weekend, ‘Jailer’ could have benefitted the maximum with the early morning shows.
A theatre owner, on the condition of anonymity, said, “The Tamil Nadu government should bring back the early morning shows with proper regulations. After Covid-19, people are coming to theatres and the business picks up only when films of leading stars release. If we miss this opportunity, then we’d have to wait for the next big release. This ‘no early morning show’ policy is affecting the theater business and also the producers. I agree that the ruckus created by fans during these shows is huge. But, we could do with more regulations on ticket rates and safety. I hope they come to a decision soon.”
Ramesh Bala added that this could cause a slight dent in the collections of ‘Jailer.’ “In Tamil Nadu, the first show would begin at 9 am. In Karnataka and Kerala, there are possibilities of having a 6 am show. The US premiere of ‘Jailer’ is getting delayed a bit due to the ‘no early morning show’ in Tamil Nadu. In Tamil Nadu, ‘Jailer’ could approximately earn Rs 25 crore on Day 1 and nearly Rs 50-60 crore worldwide. The film is also off to a great start in the overseas market. Since the rights are with Sun Pictures, the production house, we cannot determine the pre-release business,” he added.
The streaming rights would be sold to SunNXT, satellite rights to Sun TV and the film’s distribution rights would be given to Red Giant Movies on a commission basis.
MOHANLAL AND SHIVA RAJKUMAR’S PULL IN KERALA AND KARNATAKA
Rajinikanth has a huge fan base across the globe. But, with the cameos of Malayalam superstar Mohanlal and Kannada superstar Shiva Rajkumar, there are chances for the film to do better business than Rajinikanth’s previous films.
Incidentally, the showcase of ‘Jailer’ did not have the two stars, which indicates that Nelson Dilipkumar is about to pull off a surprise with their cameos. If the content lives up to the expectations, then ‘Jailer’ could do well in all markets in India and outside the country.
ALL ABOUT ‘JAILER’
Rajinikanth will be seen next in Nelson Dilipkumar’s upcoming film, ‘Jailer’. The film is gearing up for a grand release in theatres on August 10 worldwide. The film also features Malayalam superstar Mohanlal and Kannada superstar Shiva Rajkumar playing cameos. Jackie Shroff, Ramya Krishnan, Tamannaah, Vinayakan and several others are part of the cast.
‘Jailer’ has music composed by Anirudh Ravichander. ‘Kaavaalaa’ and ‘Hukum’ are the two songs that have become chartbusters.
