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It is a known fact that single screens around metropolitan cities have been suffering due to the rapid emergence of multiplexes. As the country gears up for one of the greatest releases of this year, KGF: Chapter 2, the executive director of Gaiety Galaxy and Maratha Mandir opened up on the restrictions being faced by single-screen cinemas in terms of advance bookings of the Yash starrer. The revelations made by the distributor pose a very important question regarding the alleged choice of makers to only per-booking open ticket counters for multiplexes. Even though it was opened up for single screens later, could it have been a deliberate move? Let’s have a look.
For the unversed, KGF 2 is an upcoming action-drama film that is all set to hit the theatres this weekend. The first part of this franchise was a massive hit and that is the very reason why most theatre runners and trade analysts have high expectations from this film. Directed by Prashanth Neel, this Yash-starrer can also turn out to be a part of the ongoing south India wave, joining RRR and Pushpa, which set the bar extremely high post-pandemic.
In a recent conversation with Filmi Fever, Manoj Desai opened up on how the advanced bookings of KGF: Chapter 2 have been affected due to the restrictions put up by the makers. Starting off with multiplexes, Manojji said, “70% booking ho chuki hai 14 taarik ki. Ab rahi baat Maratha mandir ki toh single theatre, mera akele ka nahi, pure Mumbai ke single theatre ko, unhone booking kholne ko mana kiya hai. Main poochta hun kyu?”
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Manoj Desai can be seen visibly angry at what now seems like a trend, calling out the distributors and calling it clear discrimination. “KGF multiplex me khul gaya hai toh single theatre me booking kholne ko mana kyu kar rahe hai wo log? Vajah toh bataye, kya vajah hai?”, he added with a slightly raised voice.
Manoj also clarified that he has no idea why they were being restricted in the first place. “Khali humare single theatre pe, konsa jaadu chal raha hai upar wala jane. Jab bhi koi achi picture aati hai, koi na koi an shan khadi kar dete hai.”, he stated.
Highlighting the efforts made by him so far to fix the issue, Manoj Desai said that he has already called the people responsible over 15 times but they refuse to let them open for advanced bookings. They reportedly told him that none of the single theatres has opened for advanced bookings yet, saying, “Wait for a while we will open on Monday.”
While discussing what the probable cause for advance booking restriction could be, the popular notion was that maybe it is a way to push people to buy multiplex tickets since demand is high anyway. Manoj Desai was asked if the high prices of multiplex tickets (which will naturally result in higher profits for the makers) could be one of the reasons for the partial distribution. Manoj did not deny it and hinted that is it is most likely to be one of the primary reasons. “Matlab ye multiplex ko support kar rahe hai. Multiplexes ko support karne ke vajah…humare single theatre ka satyanash kar rahe hai. Bombay ke sab hi single theatre band ho chuke hai, ek Maratha Mandir khada hai. Usko toh khada rehne do. Sharam karo.”, he further stated.
In a follow-up interview with the same portal, Manoj Desai further clarified and elaborated that the advanced bookings have now opened even though it is slightly late. “Sab se bada mubarakbaad main dena chakta hun Shri Anil Sidhani ko, and for your kind information, Gaiety Galaxies 1000-1000 seat ke dono theatre me ye picture lag rahi hai KGF 2.”
What do you think was the reason for restricted distribution of KGF: Chapter 2? Was it a strategy to make more money at the expense of single screen business or was it just a misstep? Let us know in the comments.
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