85 films ready for release; Big budget movies delayed | kerala theater reopening

Thrissur: When the cinema theaters open on Tuesday, there is a queue of 85 Malayalam movies. Theaters in Kerala have been closed for 9 months. There are 670 screens in Kerala. All the work has already been completed and 85 films are awaiting release. 35 films in progress with shooting and other work. There are also 28 films ready to launch soon. Completed big budget movies will not be released soon.

Mohanlal’s Maraikkar, Mammootty’s One, Priest, Fahad Fazil’s Malik and Dulquer Salman’s Kurup are all set to release in March and April. The producers of Jayasurya starrer Vellam have also volunteered. Other releases will be decided by the general forum of producers, distributors and theater owners. In addition, tax and electricity liability benefits will have to be decided before the theater opens.

Even if the theater opens with 50% of the seats, it will not be easy for the owners to run it. The government has not agreed to the requirement to provide a benefit on the electricity bill. On an average, each theater has an electricity bill of Rs 6 lakh. This is a non-revenue time bill. Each theater owner has to spend around Rs 10 lakh to keep the theater intact during the lockdown. It can also seat people in half the seats. Hence the theater cannot proceed without financial obligation. .

Master starring Vijay for Pongal is releasing in Tamil Nadu. Sometimes it may be released in Kerala under new circumstances.

The screening may not start on Tuesday

Kochi: The theaters which were closed after the Kovid lockdown were allowed to reopen on Tuesday, but the show is unlikely to start on the same day. It is likely that the theatrical release will begin on a large scale only after clarification on issues such as the availability of new films and the setting up of theaters as per Kovid standards.

MC Bobby, general secretary of Fiok, a leading organization of theater owners, said the government’s approval was welcome. “The executive committee will meet on Tuesday to decide on the course of action for the exhibition. You can’t start a show without getting movies, ”he said.

Theaters must be disinfected according to Kovid regulations before they can be opened. Sanitation will also be required during show breaks. Facilities like digital tokens may be needed instead of paper tickets.

Scene 2 for OTT release

Kochi: With the government giving permission to open theaters, the OTD (Over the Top) release of Mohanlal-Jeethu Joseph movie ‘Drishyam 2’ is in the limelight.

Mohanlal, who released the teaser, announced on social media yesterday morning that the film will be released through Amazon Prime. It was expected to be released later this month or in February. However, it is not clear whether the OTD release decision will change as the Chief Minister announced in the evening that the theaters would be open from 5 p.m.

The film is produced by Anthony Perumbavoor, who is also the president of Fiok, the largest organization of theater owners. Theater organizations in Kerala, including Fiok, have in the past strongly opposed OTT releases. The response from Fioc officials was that the position would be clarified after the release organization’s executive committee meets through ‘Scene 2’ OTT.

Content Highlights: Movie theatres in Kerala to reopen

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