Movie theatres in Kerala are finally reopening on Tuesday, January 5. However, big-budget Malayalam films, which have leading stars, will have a theatre release only by April or May. As of now, big-budgets films in Mollywood awaiting a release this year are Mohanlal’s Marakkar- Arabikadalinte Simham, Mammooty’s One and Priest, Fahadh Faasil’s Malik and Dulquer Salmaan’s Kurup.
“Although theatres are opening now, none of the big film producers would be willing to take a risk. It’s more of a ‘testing the waters’ attitude and with the protocol of 50% audience capacity, producers would be reluctant to release it now,” said B Unnikrishnan, General Secretary of the Film Employees Federation of Kerala (FEFKA).
While producer Anto Joseph, who made Malik, took to Twitter to announce that the film will release only by May 13, Priyadarshan’s magnum opus Marakkar: Arabikkadalinte Simham will release on March 26 across theatres. The Priyadarshan film also stars Arjun Sarja, Suniel Shetty, Prabhu, Manju Warrier, Keerthy Suresh, Mukesh, Siddique and Nedumudi Venu among others.
Watch: Trailer of Marakkar: Arabikkadalinte Simham
Meanwhile, 85 to 100 Malayalam films are awaiting theatre release once cinemas open on Tuesday. There are over 720 movie screens in Kerala, all of which have been shut for over nine months now, said Anil Thomas, Vice President of Kerala Film Chamber of Commerce (KFCC). He added that the movies will release based on audience demand, on a priority basis.
The Kerala government has not offered any support or subsidies to cinema owners, unlike states such as Tamil Nadu, Karnataka and West Bengal, where the respective governments have cut down on entertainment cess and other charges.
“For three months, the government cut down fixed charges on electricity bills by 25%. However, for the remaining six months, the fixed charges had to be paid. The state has not yet given any indication on whether they would waive off these charges,” Unnikrishnan added.
Even with 50% capacity, it would be difficult to run cinemas as owners have already accrued losses. According to reports, each cinema hall would have incurred an accrued loss of Rs 6 lakh for maintenance and other expenses.