500 screens in Tamil Nadu to show Endhiran

Advance booking for the Rajinikanth Aishwa­rya Rai sta­rrer Endh­iran beg­ins at 9 am on Saturday across the state, six days ahe­ad of its release on October 1. The large scale production by Sun Pictu­res at a cost of Rs120 crore, Endhiran is Tamil cinema’s cos­tliest film will rele­a­se in 500 of around 1,300 thea­tres in the state.

"Distributors are looking at 500-550 theatres to release the film," Hans­raj Saxena, CEO, Sun Pictures, told Expr­ess. With that, the film will have the widest rel­ease in the state, double that of Rajini’s previous film, Sivaji The Boss, screened in 252 theatres. Kamal Haa­san’s Dasavath­aa­ram and Vijay’s Sur­aa was shown in 275 theatr­es. World ov­er, 2,000 screens will show Endhiran, Saxena said, tho­ugh some thea­tres are yet to give a confirmation.

In the city, the film will be relea­sed in more than 40 theatres, incl­uding multiple screens of most multiplexes. In Sathyam Cinemas (including Escape), there will be 24 shows of the film a day, while Mayajaal will screen the film 60 times daily, the highest ever for a single film at the multiplex.

Although individual collec­tions of theatres may be affe­cted due to Endhiran’s record distribution, owners are happy. A Minimum Guarantee System, which requires theatre owners to pay to screen films, has mostly been done away with for Endhiran.

"In 90 per cent of theatres, the film is being sc­reened on a rental or percentage basis - the collection will be shar­ed by distributor and exhibitor, which augurs well for us," said Sridhar, TN Theatre Ow­ners Association member.