Movie releases of big stars are akin to festive celebrations in Tamil Nadu. Fans, mostly young men, gather outside theatres long before the movie screening, dance to bands, hoist towering cutouts of the actors, and perform the infamous paal abishegam (a ritual of pouring milk on deities) on these cutouts. Most of these celebrations happen during the early morning shows that are often attended by fans of the star. But not all is rosy. Instances of clashes, injuries, and even fatalities have marred the practice of early morning shows, especially if the movies of two rival stars’ release on the same day.
Since January 2023, the Dravida Munnetra Kazhagam (DMK) led Tamil Nadu government has denied permission for early morning shows citing law and order concerns. However, the government allowed early morning shows for Vijay-starrer Leo on October 19, only to backtrack in a few days. This led to the producer, Seven Screen Studios, clambering to get permission from the Madras High Court, only for the state government to stick to its decision. The ensuing chaos made people unable to book tickets for the first day, first shows (FDFS) in Tamil Nadu, despite bookings being open.
Several industry insiders believe that early morning shows are held for fans’ gratification, while others believe that it is a profit-making strategy.
Film producer G Dhananjayan said that the culture of early morning fan shows started not before 10 years. He attributes earlier international releases and social media for the craze around early morning shows. Speaking to TNM, Dhananjayan said, “There’s a significant time difference between a movie releasing overseas and in India. If a movie releases in Dubai, for instance, it will be three hours before India. We [Indians] would watch a movie in the morning while people in Dubai might watch it the previous night. Because of this, reviews for movies began coming out first from foreign countries. This could create a biassed perception about the movie, in line with foreign sensibilities. So producers began insisting that we have early morning or midnight shows here as well.”
Apart from fans wanting to catch the show of their favourite stars before anyone, there is also a profit-making aspect to the phenomenon of early morning shows. These shows are often priced slightly higher than regular shows and happen only for a few days after the release of the movie. Fans who are excited about the release of a movie also might not mind spending a few extra rupees to catch the earliest show possible. With the proliferation of social media, there seems to be a thrill that fans seek from showing off how early they were able to watch their favourite stars’ movies. And the film industry was happy to capitalise on this.
Another top producer in the state who spoke to TNM on the condition of anonymity said that the number of bookings or the money collected during the initial bookings also become a marketing factor for the movie. He said, “Profit margins from early morning shows are high and will keep the hype around the movie alive. Reports of ticket bookings and early morning shows will further bring in a lot of booking for the other shows. I think online booking for movies further facilitated this. When shows are sold out, theatre owners make room for one show earlier than planned so that they can accommodate more people.” The producer also noted that advance booking of tickets was earlier reserved only for fans. He also claimed that some of them would book a large number of shows over several theatres and resell them for higher prices to compensate for the costs incurred during the celebrations during the release.
Dhananjayan agreed that there is a profit angle to the early morning shows, but had a different reasoning. He said, “Distributors would have purchased these movies for exorbitant prices. If there are more shows that are higher priced for a few days, it simply translates to distributors getting their money back faster. The same extends to theatre owners and producers as well. Everyone is trying to make the money they invested in the quickest way possible. Five shows a day just quickens this return on investment.” The producer also said that negative reviews that begin circulating after the initial days dampen ticket sales. Due to this, there seems to be an added pressure to make as much money as possible in case the movie does not turn out to be successful.
Speaking about the release of Leo, a Kollywood industry tracker told TNM that distributors have started to demand 75% of the box office earnings as opposed to the usual 60-65%. Speaking on the condition of anonymity, he said, “Shows at 4 am and 7 am are priced higher. When these shows are not permitted, people will have no reason to seek out single screen theatres where they are usually held. Because of this, even theatre owners were hoping that the state government would permit early morning shows.”
However, not everyone in the film business feels positively about early morning shows. Some theatre owners, for instance, believe that early morning shows do more harm than good despite offering a higher profit margin. Tiruppur Subramaniam, president of the Tamil Nadu Theatre Owners Association, said, “For most theatre owners, early morning shows cause more trouble than benefits. There is almost always a ruckus that leads to a law and order problem. Some theatres have even incurred material losses due to these shows. Most single screen theatres might not pull crowds one week after the release of a movie. Due to this, some theatre owners try to earn their profits from the early morning and special shows. But apart from that, I think most theatre owners themselves will be against the idea of early morning shows, specifically for big stars.”
With inputs from Bharathy Singaravel and Dhanya Rajendran