Not quite a superstar opening for Rajini’s Kaala
NEW DELHI: There were the usual celebrations (pujas in some cases, even bands) in theatres to mark its release, and a large number of loyal fans, across Chennai and other cities in Tamil Nadu, Mumbai, even Delhi did flock to the theatres, but Rajinikanth’s latest crime drama Kaala had a tepid opening at the box office on Thursday and some film and political analysts said the popular actor’s political ambitions may have divided his fan base.
“The film has opened fairly decently but you can’t compare it with Kabali collections (~22 crore per state). I don’t think this film will open as big. There is no pressure to get tickets for the film throughout Tamil Nadu,” said independent trade analyst Sreedhar Pillai, comparing Kaala, in which Rajinikanth plays a Mumbai don to his last release, Kabali. The two films share a director, Pa. Ranjith.
Kaala has released in about 2,000 screens in the country, while Kabali opened across 3,000-3,500 screens in 2016.
The movie has fared poorly in Karnataka, where it was not shown by many theatres after political groups protested the actor’s comments in favour of Tamil Nadu in the Cauvery water dispute.
Rakesh Gowthaman, managing director at Vettri Theatre in Chennai, said the film pales in comparison to the Tamil superstar’s previous movies. “While shows from today to Sunday will eventually be packed, the thing to note is the pace at which the tickets get sold and the number of screens potentially showing the film. In Chennai, smaller screens are also showing Jurassic World,” said Gowthaman.
The actor’s last film, Kabali netted box office collections of ~110 crore in the weekend after its release worldwide. “Two years ago, when Kabali was released, Rajinikanth was not in politics. Once you are in politics, your loyal fan base is likely to get divided. MG Ramachandran also went through the same dip in popularity (after he joined politics full-time),” said Pillai.
“Normally, 90% of the audience would love Rajini sir. His plans to enter politics seem to have created a rift in what used to be a fan base across political divide,” Gowthaman said.
“His films are usually sold out from the day the advance bookings open,” he added.
Apart from Kabali, Rajinikanth’s last two releases, Lingaa and Kochadaiiyaan, didn’t set the cash registers ringing either, earning ₹149 crore and ₹70 crore, respectively. Both were unprofitable considering their massive budgets.