The ban on Kaala in Karnataka days before its release will cause heavy losses to the producers as well as theatres. Rajinikanth, a popular star in the south, commands a good opening in Karnataka as well.
According to a leading producer, the ban will result in a Rs 7-10 crore loss for the makers.
"Producers will straightaway lose a net earning of Rs 7 to 10 crores," he said. "Loss of theatrical revenue will be around Rs 25 crore."
Adding that 20 to 30% of the revenue for Tamil films come from neighboring states, the producer said that the ban on the film in Karnataka will affect this collection.
According to reports, Wunderbar Films, the producers of Kaala, have filed a case in the Karnataka High Court, seeking a direction to allow the release and provide security in theatres where the film is screened. It is to be noted that the state government has not banned the film. Rather, it is the distributors and theatre owners who have backed out of it due to pressure from pro-Kannada outfits which have objected to Rajinikanth's comments on the Cauvery issue.
Wunderbar has reportedly said that the film was made on a budget of Rs 140 crore and that the makers will suffer a gross loss of Rs 15-20 crore due to the ban.
. @wunderbarfilms has filed a case in #Karnataka HC seeking a direction to allow and also provide security for the screening of #Kaala in the state..
— Ramesh Bala (@rameshlaus) June 4, 2018
The petitioners say the movie is made a budget of ₹ 140 Crs and they are expecting gross revenue of ₹ 15 - 20 Crs from KA..
Rajinikanth's last release Kabali took a massive opening in the state and released in about 250 screens. Shows for the first few days were sold out within hours of the booking opening. Producer Sa Ra Govindu, who is also the president of the Karnataka Film Chamber of Commerce, said, "Rajinikanth is a great artiste. His films in the past have run for more than a hundred days in Karnataka and there is sufficient interest in his films in Bengaluru and other parts of the state. I have nothing to say about banning of Kaala and I am not a person who deals with the money or numbers. You will have to ask multiplexes that but his films are popular, well received in Karnataka and often run for weeks."
Previously, Vishal, president of the Tamil Film Producers' Council had said that he would meet Karnataka CM HD Kumaraswamy regarding the Kaala ban. However, until now, no decision has been made to allow the film's release in the state.