Sizzle missing as Kollywood gears up for Pongal showdown
Most Tamil film releases this Pongal are led by second-rung heroes and hence not much is expected from box-office earnings. But Telugu mega-star Mahesh Babu's film may just rake in the moolah
Pongal, one of the biggest festivals in Tamil Nadu, is a critical time for the South film industry. It's the season big stars release their films with a lot of fanfare. In 2023, for example, the much-talked-about clash between actor Vijay's Varisu and Ajith's Thunivu during Pongal reaped benefits for both movies, as they mopped up a cumulative gross revenue of ₹500 crore globally.
Back in 2019 too, Rajinikanth's Petta and Ajith's Viswasam vied with each other to capture eyeballs and both movies ended up earning a cumulative gross revenue of ₹400 crore (globally). Despite the pandemic and 50 percent occupancy in theatres, Vijay's Master, released in 2021, became the actor’s top five grossers in the state.
Sankranthi, the harvest festival in the Telugu states, also draws crores of people to theaters. Releases during this time have also raked in the moolah for film producers. Allu Arjun's Ala Vaikunthapurramuloo (2020), Ravi Teja's Krack(2021), Chiranjeevi's Waltair Veerayya(2023), and Balakrishna's Veera Simha Reddy(2023) were all some of the top grossers during the Sankranthi seasons.
Many examples show that Pongal and Sankranthi are the most lucrative release dates for the biggies in Tamil Nadu and Telugu states right from the inception of these film industries.
No sizzle in 2024 Pongal releases
2024 is no different. There are several releases lined up to hit the screens for the Pongal and Sankranthi season. Unfortunately, most Tamil releases are anchored by tier-2 heroes this Pongal and with no major offerings from top stars, not much is expected from box-office earnings.
In Tamil Nadu, exhibitors are now keenly watching how Dhanush's Captain Miller and Sivakarthikeyan's Ayalaan will fare at the box office. Though there are no big expectations of generating ₹400-500 crore gross out of this clash, say industry sources. But, if both films click at the box office, the industry can expect a gross revenue of ₹200 crore, which is half of what they collected in Pongal last year.
Other than these two films, Arun Vijay's Mission: Chapter 1 and Vijay Sethupathi's bilingual Merry Christmas is also hitting the screens this Pongal. But, the major screens in Tamil Nadu will largely screen Captain Miller and Ayalaan.
Drop in revenues
Exhibitors feel that when big stars like Rajinikanth, Vijay, Ajith, Kamal Haasan, and Suriya miss out on the festival weekends, box-office revenues too tend to drop drastically.
"Though Jigarthanda Double X was a Diwali hit, we were not happy with the revenues because Diwali is ideally for the top stars, and in their absence, we are frankly losing crores of money,” said a theatre owner on condition of anonymity.
The exhibitors welcome multiple releases for festival weekends but mostly, they want films featuring Tamil cinema's top five commercial stars in the lead. On the other hand, the heroes who belong to the tier-2 category, feel that the festival weekend is the right opportunity for them to increase their market potential as people will anyway flock to theatres during Pongal season.
Telugu films during Sankranthi
Compared to the Pongal releases in Tamil, the Sankranthi releases in Telugu look more robust as mega-star Mahesh Babu's Guntur Kaaram directed by the most bankable Trivikram Srinivas is hitting the screens on January 12. As Mahesh Babu is a crowd-puller, the film will surely have a box-ffice bumper opening.
After Guntur Kaaram, Nagarjuna's Naa Saami Raanga is also attracting a good number of theaters as the trailer is aimed at the masses. Besides these two films, Venkatesh's action thriller Saindhav and director Prashanth Varma's ambitious superhero film Hanu Man are also releasing for Sankranthi.
While Guntur Kaaram is sure to reap good numbers, what the Telugu film industry picks up as gross revenue during Sankranthi season purely depend on reviews from the public and critics about the other films releasing at this time.
Telugu films get priority
As four Telugu movies are releasing for Sankranthi, the two major Tamil films Captain Miller and Ayalaan are not hitting the screens on January 12 in the Telugu states due to the unavailability of screens. This is bound to cause a dent on the revenues of these two Tamil films as the opening weekend is always critical. If word of mouth is not good for any of the two Tamil movies, the delayed release will work against their favour at the Tollywood box office.
Besides Tamil Nadu and Telugu states, Tamil and Telugu films have a good market in Kerala, Karnataka, and overseas territories. Industry watchers, however, predict that the revenue potential in these territories will also be affected because there are no big films with A listers this Pongal.
