Petta vs Viswasam for Pongal is bad business, say industry watchers

Only recently, the makers of Ajith’s Viswasam had confirmed that the film will release on Pongal 2019. Now, the producers of Rajinikanth’s Petta have said that their movie will also release on the same day.
This has come as a surprise, for many were speculating that Petta might target the Republic Day weekend. It has also raised concerns in Kollywood trade circles as many fear that the two big films could eat into each other’s business.“The business of both the films will definitely be affected. Recently, Sarkar managed to do a business of approximately `30 crore on its opening day because it was the solo big release for Deepavali. If Petta and Viswasam hit the screens together, then, obviously, they will have to settle for a lesser opening figure,” says Ahamed Sha, executive producer and distributor. He cites the case of Vijay’s Jilla and Ajith’s Veeram, both of which released on Pongal 2014. “Had they been released on different dates, they would have both become hits. But because of the same-day release, their collections suffered after the opening week. Veeram managed to do slightly better because it was a family entertainer, while Jilla did only average business,” he informs.
The impact of this decision will be felt more by distributors and producers, and will be an advantage for exhibitors, say industry insiders. “With two films fighting to get screens, we will be able to negotiate better terms with the distributors. While the overall collection might not turn out to be as high as it would be if the films released on different dates, it will certainly bring people to the theatres. Even during the Deepavali week, only theatres screening Sarkar witnessed good footfalls. In our area, the single screens that ran the other Deepavali releases — Billa Pandi and Kalavaani Mappillai — saw poor turnout,” says Dhalapathy, a Coimbatore-based exhibitor and distributor.
Veteran distributor Tirupur Subramaniam feels that theatres can accommodate films of two big stars during a festival period. “The state has enough screens to screen two big films. Given that it is going to be a festival period, many audiences tend to watch more than one film. Also, the chances of audiences coming to the theatres to watch a film are higher when films of two stars are playing at the same time,” he states.
The producer of Viswasam, TG Thyagarajan, is confident that his film will work even if another star film releases along with it. “We had planned the film as a Pongal release and have been working towards it for the past eight months. Now, they have announced this decision all of a sudden. But we are very clear and confident that Ajith will also draw big crowds,” he says. Ask him if there have been any feelers from distributors following the announcement from the Petta team, and he says, “Not at all. My distributors are very clear and they feel that we should go ahead.”
Meanwhile, Sundar C’s Vantha Rajavathaan Varuven (VRV), starring STR, is also gunning for a Pongal release. But the overall feeling is that it might not happen if Petta and Viswasam stick to their plans. “VRV has a chance of releasing for Pongal only if either of these two movies back out. Already, a few distributors are talking about persuading the makers of these films to reconsider their decision. That way, one film could release on Pongal and the other on the Republic Day weekend. With that being the case, where is the possibility of VRV also releasing along with these two? It simply wouldn’t make sense business-wise,” says a distributor on condition of anonymity, and adds that even if the two biggies were to have a simultaneous release, smaller films, like RJ Balaji’s LKG, which has also announced a Pongal release date, might not be affected as they might get their promised screens.