Make
hay
while
Rajinikanth
shines!
This
seems
to
be
the
mantra
for
theatre
owners
who
are
making
a
killing
by
selling
Kabali
tickets
at
exorbitant
prices,
much
to
the
disappointment
of
hardcore
superstar
fans.
With
Kabali
slated
to
release
in
over
4,000
screens
worldwide
on
Friday
(July
22),
the
demand
for
its
tickets
is
unprecedented.
High
Investment
Leads
To
High
Ticket
Prices
"The
Chengalpet
area
rights
of
'Kabali'
were
bought
for
a
whopping
Rs
18
Crore.
In
order
to
make
profits,
the
film
should
collect
over
Rs
30
Crore.
If
the
tickets
are
sold
at
Rs
120,
it's
impossible
to
recover
the
investment
in
the
first
few
days," a
theatre
owner
said.
Crucial
Opening
Weekend
"The
opening
weekend
is
very
important
to
recover
as
much
as
investment
as
possible.
In
the
case
of
a
Rajinikanth-starrer,
only
when
you
sell
tickets
at
Rs
400-500,
will
you
be
able
to
see
profits,
provided
the
film
opens
to
positive
word-of-mouth," said
another
theatre
owner
Kabali
In
US
In
the
US,
tickets
for
Kabali
premiere
on
Thursday
(July
21)
are
priced
at
$25,
as
opposed
to
$14
or
$15
for
regular
releases.
Prices
In
The
US
"As
an
Indian,
when
I
start
converting
the
ticket
price
into
Indian
money,
it
gives
me
a
heart
attack.
But
you
don't
get
to
see
two
or
three
Rajinikanth
releases
in
a
year.
I
think
it's
worth
it
for
the
euphoria
his
films
bring,"
Madhusudhan,
who
has
been
living
in
New
York
for
over
a
decade,
told
IANS.
Kabali
In
Bangalore
In
Bangalore,
the
tickets
are
priced
at
1300
to
1400
rupees
at
famous
star
hotels
in
and
around
the
city.
The
craze
in
Bangalore
too,
is
high.
"Most
theatres
across
the
state
(Tamil
Nadu)
have
sold
out
tickets
for
the
opening
weekend.
With
the
average
ticket
costing
Rs
600,
most
ardent
Rajinikanth
fans
are
disappointed
that
they
couldn't
afford
the
tickets
on
the
first
day,"
trade
analyst
Trinath
told
IANS.
Despite
Tamil
Nadu
government's
cap
of
Rs
120
on
movie
tickets,
theatre
owners
have
been
selling
Kabali
tickets
at
five
times
higher
than
the
original
price.
"We
are
used
to
paying
Rs
120
for
movie
tickets.
But
this
sudden
exponential
increase
in
ticket
price
is
very
unfair.
The
prices
vary
according
to
the
show
timings.
Early
morning
shows
are
sold
at
Rs
500-600
and
the
prices
are
slashed
through
the
course
of
the
day,"
rues
Santhosh
Kumar,
a
second
year
college
student.
Some
fans
are
seething
over
unavailability
of
tickets
because
they
were
allegedly
sold
in
bulk
to
corporates.
"We
don't
have
issues
with
the
ticket
prices.
It's
once
in
two
or
three
years,
you
get
a
Thalaivar
(Rajinikanth's)
film.
If
you
can't
shell
out
Rs
1,000
for
your
matinee
idol,
then
what
kind
of
a
fan
are
you,"
asks
Muralikrishna,
a
chartered
accountant.
Although
most
theatres
give
preference
to
fan
club
members,
this
year
they
seem
to
have
favoured
corporate
companies.
"Across
major
multiplexes,
tickets
on
the
first
day
were
booked
by
corporates.
Some
of
these
companies
booked
in
bulk
even
before
the
online
booking
started.
I
somehow
managed
to
get
a
ticket
through
a
friend.
But
when
I
tried
to
book
five
tickets
for
my
family
just
minutes
after
online
bookings
opened,
it
didn't
even
go
through,"
said
Muralikrishna.
Continue
reading
the
story
in
the
slides
above:
Also
Read:
'Kabali' Mania:
Companies
&
Production
Houses
Declare
Holiday,
Jayalalitha
Receives
Bizarre
Petition