Shivaji witnesses record advance booking

By: Settu Shankar
Monday, June 11, 2007
As expected, the tickets for Rajinikanth's magnum opus of the decade Shivaji have been sold out like hot cakes on the very first day of advance booking. According to Abhirami Ramanathan, the distributor of Shivaji, most of the theaters have sold all the tickets for a month within 5 hours.

The much hyped Shivaji, starring superstar Rajinikanth and Shreya Saran will hits the screen on June 15 world wide. Advance ticket bookings for overseas too have already started and the turned out for its advance booking is said to be larger than expected.

In Chennai and Tamil Nadu, bookings was opened yesterday. People arrived in the early morning to the theaters where the film will be released and waited for hours together to get tickets. Hot climate and the strict regulations of the police didn't deter them from buying the tickets. In Abhirami Mega Mall, the queue was extended to more than 500 meters. But there was no violence or unwanted incidents reported and the crowd was waiting patiently for their turn.

Udhayam Complex witnessed brisk booking and thousands of fans and public were waiting before the complex till the evening to book the tickets. Police were deployed to control the crowd. The theater administration said that 10,000 tickets were sold within 3 hours and that there is no ticket available for the next 25 days in their complex.

Large number of ladies turned up for booking in Sathyam and Devi complex. Most of the IT companies booked tickets for its employees on bulk basis in Sathyam and INOX. Bookings are going in INOX multiplex for the VIP viewers including artistes, politicians, police officers and other Govt. officials.

For the first time, the theaters in suburban also has opened its counters for advance bookings. All the exhibitors are ensured the ticket rates fixed by the govt of Tamil Nadu recently. Only Multiplexes are entitled to sell tickets for the maximum of Rs.120. For all other theaters it is Rs.50-70. In suburban areas, Rs.50 is the maximum rate. But some people bought tickets from the counter for lesser price and sold them in the black market for Rs.500 each!

When asked about the bookings, Abhirami Ramanathan said, "I have never seen such a big crowd for advance bookings in my 32 years cinema experience. No doubt, the superstar is rules the Industry. In Abhirami Mega Mall, we have sold out the tickets for the next one month in a single day. This is an all time record for any film in the country."

Hope the film creates more records in box-office collection too!