Darbar bags 500 more screens for a day to make most of the one-day advantage before Chhapaak, Tanhaji's release.
A still from Tanhaji. (Right) A still from Chhapaak
In its bid to become a Pongal release, Rajinikanth's Darbar is clashing with two Bollywood big-ticket releases — Chhapaak and Tanhaji: The Unsung Warrior — at the marquee. Knowing that the Hindi projects are likely to dominate the screens in North and central India on their release tomorrow, the makers of the multi-lingual are making the most of the one-day advantage over its competitors. Distributor Reliance Entertainment, which has acquired 4,000 screens across the country, has procured 500 more screens only for today.
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Trade analyst Taran Adarsh says it is a wise move as the actioner will get a jumpstart. "Theatre owners will [happily] accommodate the film for one day. After all, the film boasts the jodi of Rajinikanth and AR Murugadoss [director]. Most importantly, besides Good Newwz, no film has brought in footfalls. So, this will also work [to the advantage of] exhibitors."
A still from Darbar
Film business expert Girish Johar says that the movie marks one of the biggest releases for a Rajinikanth-starrer. "Rajini sir has a massive following among the single-screen audience in the Hindi belt. That said, if all three films had opened on Friday, Tanhaji would be leading, followed by Chhapaak. The makers of Darbar pre-empted that and the one-day window will help them garner positive word-of-mouth."
Trade analyst Atul Mohan adds that Darbar, owing to its masala movie treatment, will find takers. "With Rajini sir [mouthing] catchy dialogues and a Bollywood star in Suniel Shetty, Darbar is a commercial entertainer. The distributors are confident [of the offering], that is why they have increased the screen count for a day."
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