Avatar: The Way Of Water Box Office Badly Impacted As South Indian Theatre Owners Refuse To Screen For This Reason ( Photo Credit – Instagram )
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James Cameron’s Avatar: The Way Of Water has been creating havoc at the box office ever since it hit the theatres on December 16. The film, which is labeled as a visual treat by critics, is the official sequel to James Cameron’s 2009 movie Avatar. While the film continues to make and break records at the ticket window it seems to be getting a limited response from South. If the latest reports are anything to go by only a few theatres are screening the film.
The 3D film has garnered over Rs 1500 crores worldwide on its very first weekend. Within a few days of its release, it entered a 100-crore club.
Reportedly, the South Indian theatre owners have refused to screen Avatar: The Way Of Water. Yes, you heard that right! According to the latest media reports, the makers of the film have asked for 70% profit from the theatre owners following which they’ve refused to screen the film as they feel it wasn’t a win-win situation.
Spilling the beans on the same, TN Theatre and Multiplex Owners Association President M. Tirupur Subramaniam told The Quint, “Other than the national multiplex chains, theatres in Tamil Nadu didn’t screen ‘Avatar 2’ since the owners could not agree with the terms set by the film’s distributors. We (theatre owners) felt that the deal was not mutually beneficial. They (Disney) asked for a 70 percent share in the collections as opposed to 50 percent, which is the general practice for Hollywood movies in Tamil Nadu. A 70:30 arrangement is not a win-win situation for either party. So, a majority of the theatres in Tamil Nadu did not screen Avatar: The Way Of Water”.
However, Trade Analyst Sreedhar Pillai told The Quint, “It is still profitable for theatres to release a huge film like Avatar 2 with the current deal. The film will ensure huge footfall and secondly, it has been released without much competition from mainstream regional cinema. The operational costs will get covered. Hence, theatre owners are bound to give in even if they try and fail to negotiate a better deal”.
Voicing his opinion on the same, the film critic Siddarth Srinivas told the portal, “Though the Avatar franchise is a huge phenomenon, there was an initial reluctance from the audience as the film is over three hours long. The 30% agreement, coupled with the fact that the attention span of viewers has reduced considerably might have compelled theatre owners to skip Avatar: The Way Of Water‘s screenings on Day 1. In addition, the sequel was released after 13 long years, and hence the film’s connection with its audience today has weakened slightly. He added, “However, after the positive reviews, many theaters have reconsidered screening the film”.
Coming back what are your thoughts on the same? Do let us know.
Note: Box office numbers are based on estimates and various sources. Numbers have not been independently verified by Koimoi.
