 Here is the rock solid proof for the perfomance of Robot in Indian Box-office with inputs from trade analysts and theatrical circles. Check the article it says that even on Monday shows for the Robot were full and it is rocking all over the world.
Rajini Vs Ranbir - A clear picture!
Whilst Tamil superstar Rajinikanth may have washed out young turk Ranbir Kapoor in the south, it’s the Ranbir-Priyanka Chopra joditrumping in the north when it comes to the all-powerful box-office stakes.
“Ranbir-Priyanka have won the first round over Rajinikanth-Aishwarya Rai Bachchan (in the Northern territory and Mumbai). Both the films have opened to a great response, but Ranbir-Priyanka have scored specially well in the multiplexes. But, I must say that Rajini’s film is one of the biggest grossers in recent times overall,” says trade analyst Taran Adarsh.
Analysts say the Ranbir-Priyankastarrer earned around Rs 26 crore in the initial weekend, while Rajini’s film pulled in close to Rs 7 crore. In the southern region, Rajini has broken records by ringing in a whopping Rs 100 crore in the opening weekend.
“This is no surprise because the Rajinikanth film was a dubbed one and it wouldn’t have done well against an undubbed one like Ranbir-Priyanka’s. The same logic has worked for Rajini’s film in the South,” says trade analyst Amod Mehra.
Trade analysts predict that while the Priyanka-Ranbir starrer might weaken in the coming week, Rajinikanth’s film shows signs of maintaining a steady collection throughout the country. According to cineplex owners in the North, most shows of the Ranbir-Priyanka film went houseful with over 90 percent occupancy, while both versions (Tamil and Hindi) of the Rajini film did close to 80 percent occupancy (on average).The figures in the South for the Rajinikanth starrer are exceeding all expectations.
Source:http://www.dnaindia.com/entertainment/report_rajinikanth-v-s-ranbir-kapoor_1448795
Robot & Dabaang - this years’ top grossers - Says ET
NEW DELHI/MUMBAI: A long list of film releases in the festive season and a rebounding economy have Indian multiplex chains gearing for their strongest quarter of box-office collections this winter in years.
The International Monetary Fund has forecast India to grow 9.7 percent in 2010 and the Oct-Dec quarter, with a series of festivals and holidays for Diwali, Eid and Christmas, promises to set the screens on fire. The festivities and a return in consumer spending could benefit multiplex chains such as PVR Ltd , Reliance MediaWorks , Inox Leisure , Cinemax India and Fame India after a weak spell last year.
“We had a very bad year last year and we are having a party this year,” said Tushar Dhingra, chief operating officer at Reliance MediaWorks’ unit Big Cinemas, referring to recent smash hits the Salman Khan-starrer ‘Dabang’ and Tamil superstar Rajnikanth’s ‘Endhiran’, the year’s top two grossers.
“I think in the last five years this is the strongest line-up we have seen. It will be a stronger third quarter than the last three or four years at least.” A global economic downturn, security concerns sparked by the Mumbai terror attacks of 2008, and a two-month strike by Bollywood producers and distributors in 2009 had dampened show business pushing some theatre chains into the red.
“Unlike the last two years, uncertainties have disappeared from the economy and people are more secure about their jobs and want to spend more,” KR Choksey analyst Abhay Amlekar said. About 35 Hindi movies from genres as varied as comedy, drama, action and romance, and with Bollywood stars such as Akshay Kumar, Ajay Devgan, Hrithik Roshan and Aishwarya Rai are scheduled to hit the screens.
“This could be one of the greatest quarters in 3-4 years,” Pramod Arora, chief executive officer at PVR said, adding the success of ‘Endhiran’ has already set the tone for the quarter. Average ticket prices in the industry could rise by 7-8 percent said Arora, who sees a 10-12 percent rise in PVR’s same-screen revenue for the quarter.
However, one analyst points out the absence of big star movies featuring top acts such as Shah Rukh Khan and Aamir Khan could dent earnings. Typically, multiplexes share revenue with distributors and have the lowest share in the first week of the screening with the share rising in the subsequent weeks.
A movie with less-known actors that runs for just 2-3 weeks brings a smaller share of the revenue compared with big-star films that run for 4-5 weeks. However, PVR’s Arora is banking on films such as ‘Action Replay’, ‘Golmaal 3′, ‘Khelein Hum Jee Jaan Sey’ and ‘Harry Potter and The Deathly Hallows.’
Hollywood, though marginal to Indian cinema revenues, has about 70 films for release in the period, including 3D films such as ‘Tron Legacy’, ‘Harry Potter and The Deathly Hallows’, ‘The Nutcracker’ and ‘Gulliver’s Travels’. Angel Broking analyst Anand Shah said 3D movies fetch better margins and eye-popping effects attract larger family audiences, pushing occupancy rates higher.
Analysts expect occupancy rates to climb to 35-38 percent, from average of about 30 percent through the year since January. Higher occupany and ticket prices could grow revenue for the quarter by about 15 percent, estimates SKP Securities analyst Kamna Jain.
http://economictimes.indiatimes.com/news/news-by-industry/media/entertainment-/entertainment/Multiplexes-hope-festive-cheer-to-set-BO-on-fire/articleshow/6706019.cms
Robot the clear winner!
It is party time for multiplexes and Bollywood producers with the first weekend of the third quarter setting the box office on fire.
Rajnikanth has woven his magic yet again with Endhiran and sources say the film has netted around Rs 58 crore in three languages creating a new box-office record in the bargain. Anjaana Anjaani, the other big starrer, has managed around Rs 24 crore.
Occupancy
“We have had 100 per cent occupancy in the south with Endhiran and people are still queuing up for tickets even if it is for a slot after a week.
Anjaana Anjaani and Khichdi have had average occupancies of 60-70 per cent,” said Mr Devang Sampat, President, Cinemax. The film industry is hoping that the good run continues with more releases scheduled in the festive season. Nearly Rs 400 crore is riding on these films that are ue to hit movie halls in these three months, say trade analysts.
Top directors such as Vipul Shah, Sanjay Leela Bhansali, Farah Khan and Ashutosh Gowariker are involved in these projects.
“The third quarter is generally choc-a-bloc with movies as producers and distributors know that business is heady in these months thanks to the Diwali and Christmas breaks,” said Mr Komal Nahata, film trade analyst.
UTV Motion Pictures has three pictures lined up this quarter.
The first is the Rs 50 crore Guzaarish with Aishwarya Rai Bachchan and Hrithik Roshan, followed by the Rs 45 crore Tees Maar Khan, directed by Farah Khan and releasing on Christmas eve.
The last is a small budget film, No One Killed Jessica, starring Rani Mukherji and Vidya Balan.
Big-ticket releases
The other big-ticket releases include Khelein Hum Jee Jaan Se produced by PVR Pictures, Reliance Big Pictures’ Break Ke Baad starring Deepika Padukone and Imran Khan, Asthavinayak Cine Vision’s Golmaal 3 and Vipul Shah’s Action Replayy.
Multiplexes also make the most of the occasion and hike ticket prices by 15 to 20 per cent while earmarking higher revenues from advertising.
Downside
However, analysts warn of a downside to this rush of releases. The films concerned will have to hit paydirt in the opening week as there will be competition emerging the week thereafter.
Star power and charisma will, doubtless, be a decisive factor too.
It is here that big names like Hrithik Roshan, Akshay Kumar, Ajay Devgn and Abhishek Bachchan will be put to the test this quarter. “You have already seen the magic of Rajinikanth in Endhiran,” said an analyst.
http://www.thehindubusinessline.com/2010/10/05/stories/2010100554430500.htm
Robot surpasses all records of box-office collections
Rajinikanth creates hysteria with Robot; Hindi-speaking territories to offer more shows
Forget Dabangg or 3Idiots, Rajinikanth-starrer Robot is set to rule Indian cinema with its whopping collections in the opening weekend.
According to trade pundits, the film has collected Rs95 crore from the combined ticket sales of all three versions in the opening weekend. If you add the ticket sales from overseas, it rises to a record Rs100 crore.
“In the opening weekend, all the three versions of Robot have together collected Rs95 crore, which is the highest-ever in India. If you add the overseas figures, the total collections will increase probably by another Rs7 crore-Rs8 crore,” said Komal Nahta, founder-editor of Koimoi.com.
The film is expected to generate at least about Rs120 crore-Rs130 crore more from ticket sales, Mr Nahta added. Just a month ago, Dabangg, with gross collections of Rs48.25 crore at the opening weekend, surpassed 3Idiots who raked in approximately Rs41 crore in the same period.
But all this is history now. Robot has remade the box-office record in its own inimitable style.
The USP of the film is “everything”, including the special effects and Rajni Sir, according to Mr Nahta. Even those who haven’t watched the film are gung-ho about the movie and plan to watch it in the days to come.
Piyush Pandey, executive chairman and national creative director of Ogilvy India, said, “Though I don’t want to comment on something I haven’t seen, but I can tell you a very dear friend of mine who is the chairman of Lowe, R Balki (director of Paa), met me a day before yesterday. He has seen it in Tamil and said it’s fantastic. So, I would like to test his judgement. I will definitely watch it. Such a phenomenon should be seen. The person second to Mr Bachchan is only Mr Rajinikanth. They are the actual fathers of (the) movie (industry) in the country. So, I will definitely see it.”
Though Robot was released with a record 2,250 prints and has created hysteria in south India and all over the world including Dubai and Malaysia, in Hindi speaking territories, the shows were few, less than one-third of the shows given to its competitive-release Anjaana Anjaani.
But the rave reviews and positive publicity Robot has generated is set to change the trend, Mr Nahta said. “Rajinikanth doesn’t run other than in South India. But now hall owners have realised that the movie is a hit and will get more shows in the second week.”
Even Mr Pandey agreed with this. He said, “We are not a country but a continent. Regional differences will be there. Mr Rajinikanth will not be what Mr Bachchan is in the Hindi-speaking belt. So Mr Bachchan will not be what Mr Rajinikanth is in those areas.”
So is the new record going to change the landscape of Indian cinema and set a new precedent? Mr Pandey differs. He told Moneylife, “These things (box-office collections) are very difficult to evaluate (in the context of) one film against the other. Because of the differences in the ticket rate and circumstances in the days of Sholay or DDLJ compared to now. But, obviously it is hugely successful. I can’t compare one against the other. It’s like comparing Sachin Tendulkar with Don Bradman.”
Robot is the most expensive Indian film ever made with a price tag of Rs150 crore. The robots used in the movie cost around Rs4.8 crore each, according to a press release from the Sun Network. About Rs60 crore has been spent on special effects. The climax has been shot on a set that cost Rs5 crore where Rajinikanth fights with 100 robots that are similar to him.
http://www.moneylife.in/article/78/9679.html
Robot sets new record! Here comes the Badshah of the Box-office!!
Move over Shah Rukh Khan; there’s a new king in tinsel town. He’s 61, a god in South India, and now, superstar Rajinikanth has taken over Bollywood fans, too. His latest film, Enthiran-The Robot, has broken all opening weekend sales recorded by any Bollywood film, ever. With box office collection worth a whopping R56 crore on its first weekend, the film has overshot the record set by Salman Khan’s Dabangg, by 17 per cent.
Even in North India, where it’s mostly Bollywood films that have done well, the movie is a top grosser, beating Anjaani Anjaani, which released on the same day. “We didn’t expect such a great response in the North sector. We’re planning to increase the number of shows in Delhi this weekend — that’s how phenomenal the response has been,” says Shirish Handa of Fun Cinemas.
Enthiran“Rajinikanth is now the baadshah of the box office, and the numbers prove it,” says trade analyst Taran Adarsh. “Robot has put him on an unmatchable level. His demand is growing both in North India and internationally.”
It’s not just multiplexes that are raking in the moolah. Vishek Chauhan, owner of Roopbani theatre in Purnia, Bihar, insists that both the classes and the masses seem to love the actor in his latest avatar. “We’ve never witnessed something like this earlier. The shows remain full even on Mondays.”
Till three years ago, Rajinikanth’s films would only take South India by storm. The turning point was Sivaji – The Boss (2007). Even the Tamil version was a hit in Mumbai. Now, Robot is repeating the success story like never before. “It’s not Batman or Superman, no blonde-haired, white-skinned super hero saving the world… he is our very own Chitti — one we can all relate to,” says film critic Anupama Chopra.
Enthiran Domestic opening R56 crore, Worldwide opening R160 crore
Dabangg Domestic opening R48 crore, Worldwide opening R90 crore
3 idiots Domestic opening R38 crore, Worldwide opening R90 crore
My Name is Khan Domestic opening R30 crore, Worldwide opening R85 crore
Inputs from Hiren Kotwani
http://www.hindustantimes.com/News-Feed/bollywood/Rajinikanth-beats-the-Khans/Article1-608663.aspx
Rajinikanth shows Indian cinema is more than Bollywood
Never a particularly elegant term to describe the Hindi film industry, the name “Bollywood” was not only a particularly unoriginal one, seeking glory from imitation, but it also suffered from delusions of grandeur, as if the Bombay film industry was the only base of the “Indian” film industry in the way Hollywood undoubtedly was and is for American cinema. But “Bollywood” acquired hegemony over Indian cinema with its budgets. So big was the investment in Bollywood that other Indian language cinema was never able to challenge its supremacy, despite the fact that technologically Chennai’s Tamil film industry had kept ahead of Mumbai’s Hindi film industry for a long time. In terms of the application of modern technology — photography, colour, sound and graphics — the Tamil and Telugu film industries have set the pace for Mumbai’s Bollywood. But the big bucks were always with the Kapoors and the Bachchans and their like and Mumbai was where it was all on display. One man has changed that. Born Shivaji Rao Gaikwad, ironically a Maharashtrian from a Bangalore-based family, Rajinikanth has emerged as India’s biggest box office machine with his new film Endhiran (Robot in Hindi). Apart from his “bus conductor to superstar” life story, Rajinikanth has made history by becoming one of India’s most globally marketed film makers. He earned for himself an audience in Japan long before Bollywood made any impact that far to the East. While Mumbai’s Amitabh Bachchan is still the “Big B”, neither he nor any other Mumbai producer/ actor has experimented on a scale that Rajinikanth has. From a purely business perspective, a new milestone has been crossed in Indian cinema’s business history by Mr Rajinikanth.
However, for all its quantitative growth, Indian cinema has some way to go in qualitative terms. While Endhiran (Robot) has made a mark with technology and technique, there’s nothing original about either or even the film’s theme. What is striking as of now is the sheer scale of the marketing effort. Hopefully, bigger budgets, bigger markets and deeper pockets will bring in their train better films, better produced. What Mr Rajinikanth has done with his latest offering is to show that India’s so-called “regional cinema” can also go global. The world Tamil diaspora, and it is both large and prosperous, is a good enough market to tap. But when Japanese film-goers start going crazy, one can see that the appeal goes beyond the diaspora. The continued success of Indian cinema shows that India has a stake in an open market for cinema. World trade in cinema must not only become more organised, and corporatised, but it must also function on the basis of transparent rules of business. But, before Indian film makers demand a more level global playing field, they must ensure that the business of cinema becomes more businesslike at home. This has already happened to a considerable extent with the entry of companies and banks into film financing, but there is more to be done. India has the opportunity of overtaking the US as home to the world’s biggest and most globalised film industry. Mr Rajinikanth has drawn our attention to the potential yet again.
Source:http://www.business-standard.com/india/news/regional-goes-global/410296/
Rajnikant’s ‘Robot’ collections pick up strongly
Rajnikant and Shankar’s Robot is continuing its power at Andhra Pradesh box-office in second week too. First week collections are splendid but the movie was down on Wednesdays and Thursdays. Suddenly from weekend, it has picked up drastically. Especially in Hyderabad, all the theaters have put up House Full boards for all shows. A Multiplex representative tells Telugucinema.com that they don’t have tickets till next Monday for any show.
“We are getting calls from everyone to provide tickets for Robot. And some are dropping the names of big politicians’ names to get the tickets. Such is the demand,” he said.
As holidays began from this weekend, people are flocking to the theatres and the majority of them want to see Robot only.
http://www.telugucinema.com/c/publish/news/rajnikant_oct092010.php
Endhiran: Biggest hit in the history of Indian cinema
In two weeks, the film has collected a never-before Rs 200 crore.
Rajinikant may not have been a big favourite earlier other than in Tamil Nadu, but the success of Robot has proved that the superstar is a big craze even in other centres and especially in the North.
Endhiran (the Tamil version) and Robot (the dubbed version in Hindi), starring Rajinikant-Aishwarya Rai Bachchan, has surpassed all box-office collections thus making it the biggest -ever grosser in the history of Indian cinema, according to trade analyst N.P. Yadav. He asserts that 3 Idiots was the last film to net Rs.150 crores while Endhiran/ Robot has had a net collection of Rs 200-225 crore worldwide since its release on October 1, which is nearly double of Dabangg and is still going strong.
The film made at the whopping budget of Rs.170 crore, had screening starting as early as 5 a.m. in certain places of Tamil Nadu, and in this state alone, it collected Rs. 150 crore with an approximate Rs 50 crore in other South centres while the dubbed version has made Rs 15 crore in India. “It is Rajinikant’s charisma that works in his favour. Moreover it is an out-and-out masala film, with Aishwarya to add to the glamour quotient, the lavish locations and extravagant special effects,” he states.
According to trade analyst Amod Mehra, the opening week of Robot was “good” while the second week was “much better” and it is still growing. “It has broken all the norms of a dubbed film. There has never been any dubbed film that has crossed even the one crore mark. There was Shankar’s earlier film Jeans with Aishwarya, but that did not do all that well,” he recalls adding that the release of the Shankar-directed Sun Pictures’ venture has cast a shadow on all the recent releases. However, he points out that it was possible because there was no competition whatsoever “with Crook flopping and Do Dooni Char also not faring too well at the b-o. Endhiran, that opened in 2,200 screens all over as compared to 1,400 for Dabangg and crossed the two-week net collection of the Salman Khan- starrer in its first week itself. However, Dabanng has managed to rake in its moolah during its five weeks of release and the DVD of the film will be out soon. Moreover, it is being telecast on TV some time later this month.” says Mehra.
Rajinikant has done many Hindi films earlier, but the reason Mehra attributes for this mad craze for his recent release, is the new generation of movie lovers which has rediscovered a new 61-year old star. “His fan following is unbelievable and the film is sure to affect other films at least till Diwali,” he asserts.
http://www.indianexpress.com/news/endhiran-biggest-hit-in-the-history-of-indian-cinema/697154/0
Language no bar - The Hindu
Endhiran/Robo/Robot’s success has hushed up the furore over dubbed movies having a swell time in Hyderabad.
Man, machine, mohabbat… was a rather cheesy tagline for a film futuristically titled Robot and became the butt of sms jokes before Rajnikanth’s costliest film till date hit theatres. The jokes and debates about why Southern stars don’t stir the box office across India died a quiet death once Shankar’s Robot/Robo/Endhiran arrived. Trade pundits who did the math trying to gauge if Shankar’s expensive gamble would recover its cost, are now trying to fathom the record-shattering collections.
FDFS at Atlanta, US
Cinema halls in Hyderabad have been juggling show timings to meet the demands for the screening of Tamil, Telugu and the Hindi versions. Brave the serpentine queues and reach the ticket counter to be faced with a standard question: “Tamil, Telugu or Hindi?” before you get the tickets. It’s more likely that you see houseful boards though.
Film buffs in the city have had the advantage of watching original films releasing alongside their dubbed/remade counterparts for quite some time now. Gautham Menon’s Ye Maya Chesave did roaring business even as the Tamil version Vinnai Thaandi Varuvaye sailed through in three multiplexes, drawing moderate to full houses for 2-3 shows a day. Karthi’s Awara, helped by Yuvan Shankar Raja’s lilting tunes, earned him recognition among Telugu film goers. The Tamil original Paiyya, which released simultaneously, saw Tamilians settled in the city queuing up. And Mani Ratnam’s Raavan and Villain were cold turkeys, but that didn’t stop film buffs from checking out the Tamil original Raavanan and drawing comparisons between the different versions.
Srikanth, general manager, Prasads multiplex, sees this as a reflection of Hyderabad’s cosmopolitan culture: “There was a time when original Tamil, Kannada or Malayalam films would be screened in Hyderabad a good two to three months after their release in the neighbouring states. And those screenings were confined to morning shows. The increased response to native films has made it possible to screen more shows. Hyderabad is no more a vernacular city. It’s only fair that people get to see a film in their language of preference,” he says.
On Wednesday, a day before the release of NTR’s Brindaavanam, Robo was being screened for 10 shows in a leading multiplex with each one of them running to packed houses. Vasu of Multidimensional Pictures that distributed the movie feels Hyderabad is at a stage where it can leverage on its multi-lingual population. The furore raised by a section of the industry over dubbed films getting prominence is unwarranted, he says. “To the audience, all that matters is an entertaining film. We released the Telugu version in 205 theatres in the Nizam region and the collections have been 85 to 90 per cent even during weekdays. Tamil Nadu and Kerala do not have a problem with dubbed films and given Hyderabad’s cosmopolitan society, it shouldn’t be an issue here,” he asserts.
Trade analyst Komal Nahata affirms that Endhiran/Robot has broken language barriers elsewhere in the country too. “Endhiran alone has made business more than Rs. 100 crore, the magic mark that distributors earned through 3 Idiots. North Indians who don’t take kindly to Rajnikanth and other South Indian stars have accepted the film, which in itself is a huge success,” he sums up.
At the movies
According to exhibitors in Hyderabad, tickets were sold out for Endhiran sooner than they did for Robo and Robot. The film has been running to packed houses in all three languages, leaving theatre owners perplexed as to how to make way for this week’s releases — Brindaavanam, Aakrosh and Knock Out.
The growing number of shows and response to originals like Vinnai Thaandi Varuvaya, Raavanan and Paiyya alongside the respective Telugu dubbed/remade versions Ye Maya Chesave, Villain and Awara are indicators to the city’s cosmopolitan nature.
The distributors’ share from Endhiran alone has surpassed the Rs. 100 crore, beating the previous record of 3 Idiots.
Trade pundits note that Robot’s acceptance in Mumbai, Delhi, Uttar Pradesh and Rajasthan regions break the notion that Southern stars are paper tigers in Bollywood strongholds.
http://www.thehindu.com/arts/cinema/article830226.ece
Ayngaran International officially confirms an astounding collection of Rs.61 crores in overseas so far!!
This film has been released by Ayngaran International, which is a 51% subsidiary of Eros International and is the pioneer in Tamil film distribution in theatrical and home video formats in the international market.
Eros International Media Ltd (Eros International), the largest studio in India, is proud to announce the spectacular opening for the Tamil and Telegu versions of the film ‘Endhiran’ which has recorded a gross overseas box office collection of Rs. 610mn . This film has been released by Ayngaran International, which is a 51% subsidiary of Eros International and is the pioneer in Tamil film distribution in theatrical and home video formats in the international market.
Endhiran stars the Tamil film industry’s most popular superstar Rajnikanth and is directed by the immensely talented Shanker. This is one of the most magnificent films to be made in Indian cinema. The Tamil and Telugu versions of Endhiran have received enormous success overseas with the film grossing Rs. 200mn in the United States of America, Rs. 80mn in the United Kingdom (Including Europe), Rs. 70mn in the Middle East, Rs. 210mn in South East Asia (including Malaysia and Singapore) and Rs. 50mn in the rest of the world. The film has received a stupendous response and has seen a manifold success compared to the Rajnikanth starrer ‘Sivaji’
With Ayngaran International, Eros International continues to establish its strong regional presence and penetrate into new market segments, audiences, acquisition and exploitation of regional film content. The latest success of Endhiran has also contributed towards consolidating this strategy.
Commenting on the success of Enthiran, K Karunamoorthy, CEO of Ayngaran International commented, “We are pleased to announce the exceptional response to the Tamil and Telegu versions of the film-Endhiran, not just in India but across the world. The magnificent trio – Rajnikanth, Shankar and A.R. Rehman have hit the jackpot once again. We were very confident about the film breaking all box office records. The combined distribution strength of Ayngaran International and Eros International has enabled us to integrate the Tamil film industry by producing and releasing films very successfully on the global platform.”
Sunil Lulla, Managing Director, Eros International Media Ltd said, “It gives me immense pride to announce the exceptional response received for the Tamil and Telugu versions of the film-Endhiran, which has been distributed through our own subsidiary Company, Ayngaran International. We are elated with the box office collections of the film across the globe and wish to contribute the success to the very talented team of Endhiran. We believe the extensive distribution power of Ayngaran International and Eros International has given us a competitive advantage and we will continue to strive to create greater success stories in the future.”
http://www.indiainfoline.com/Markets/News/Rajnikant-magic…Eros-International-collects-Rs610mn-for-Endhiran/4964891239
Rajini Rocks The World
The superstar’s overseas market doubles from Sivaji’s
Ravi Balakrishnan
WHEN a dubbed version of the Rajinikanth starrer Muthu (1995) became a surprise hit in Japan, it was little more than a quirky footnote in the career of the South Indian star. The performance of his latest film Endhiranis another matter entirely. Fans across the globe have been lining up at theatres, voting with their wallets several times over. K Karunamoorthy, CEO, Ayngaran International, (a subsidiary of Eros International that specialises in taking Tamil and Telugu films overseas) believes, “The combination of Rajinikanth and Aishwarya Rai raised the expectation beyond imagination. The curiosity factor saw a lot of people come to the theatres.” This includes a surprisingly huge non-Tamil audience which opted to go for the Tamil Endhiran, because they were drawn in by the English subtitling. It has justified Endhiran’s ambitious global distribution strategy.
Singapore, a market with a sizable Tamil speaking population, saw the film hit 22 screens with 16 prints; a record for an Indian production. “Not even My Name Is Khan had such a wide release,” says Krishnamoorthy.
The film has already collected S$2.5 million. Figures from Eros International put the overseas collections at 61 crore so far.
According to S Ramanathan, head of the Tamil Nadu Theatre Owner’s Association and a distributor on Sivaji, “Endhiran is doing as expected. It opened in as many theatres as possible to avoid piracy — when you can easily get a ticket, why go in for a pirated CD? That idea worked very well.” While Sivaji started off on 18 screens across Chennai, Endhiran began on 32. The almost 24-hour screening schedules lasted only through the first week. However, the 8:30 early morning show continued to be a draw at both Ramanathan’s Abirami theatre complex and at the Sathyam multiplex chain in Chennai. The market was rife with rumours about theatres cranking up their prices to cash in on the craze for the film, but Ramanathan disagrees: “I don’t think any theatre raised ticket rates. Many charitable organisation bought tickets and gave it as a return for donations. It went to a good end somewhere.” Previously, a film hitting a silver jubilee or managing to be on screens for over 100 days was a definitive measure of its success. But according to Ramanathan, “That’s no longer a view the filmmaker has. It’s more about the money that can be raised out of the film and not how long it runs. Has it made or crossed a box office collections record? That’s what’s important.” However, he adds, “It will complete 100 days but in one or two theatres.” What’s worked for Endhiran is the fact that it is an unusual film in the Rajinikanth canon. ‘Rajini’ Dilli, the head of a rasigar mandram (or fan club) in Chennai has already seen the film 10 times.
He observes, “It’s not just the hardcore fans driving the success of this film. It’s a huge hit with the family audiences as well.” The record to beat though is Rajinikanth’s previous blockbuster, Sivaji which earned an estimated 128 crore worldwide. According to Karunamoorthy’s estimates Endhiran has made 2.5 times as much as Sivaji and is the highest grosser in Ayngaran’s 13-year history, through the course of which it has distributed approximately 600 Tamil and Telugu films in the overseas market. Ramanathan adds, “Shivaji was a different type of movie. You had a hero, a villain and the hero wins in the end. This is totally futuristic. It first began to dip since the ordinary layman — a farmer or a worker — could not understand computer technology. But slowly it started picking up. We can see which film does better only at the end of the whole journey. But at the current rate, Endhiran will collect more.”
It has been quite a ride for a film that started a decade ago when director Shankar first conceived of the script with Kamal Hassan in mind. The project was briefly associated with Sharukh Khan and finally in 2008, Ayngaran stepped in as producers.
Karunamoorthy says, “The financial crisis in the markets saw us take a back seat and in December that year, we sold the film to Sun.” At the time, 30% to 35% of the production, including shooting in Brazil, had been completed. Karunamoorthy concludes, “I am very happy that we could associate with this film and at least distribute it overseas.”
Print Version of the article:
Chitti-the robot, delights tax officials - Bangalore Mirror
Enthiran (Robot), the recent blockbuster from the Rajni-Shankar combine, has brought an unexpected windfall for the state commercial tax department. Touted as the country’s first serious and most successful sci-fi film, Enthiran, so far, has brought in a revenue of Rs 2.48 crore for the department, from Bangalore city alone. The revenue would be much higher if one takes the whole state into account.
The good news for the department is that the revenue flow is still continuing, although at a slower pace. “During the first week of the films release, we received a revenue of Rs.1.67 crore as entertainment tax,” Zaibunnissa, joint commissioner (minor acts) department of commercial taxes, told Bangalore Mirror.
The Rajni-Ash super thriller was released in all the three languages in Karnataka. However, it’s learnt that it was the Tamil version which saw film-goers gate-crashing the theaters.
“In Bangalore, the film was released in 27 theatres, including multiplexes. During the second week, our revenue from the film stood at Rs 81 lakh,” Zaibunnissa said.
Enthiran was made at a cost of Rs 162 crore while the production of 177 Kannada films in 2009 totalled Rs 350 crore. Despite this, Enthiran has surpassed Kannada films in terms of collections, within a short span of two weeks.
Produced by Sun Pictures Kalanidhi Maran, the trilingual film released on Oct 1 with 2,250 prints had hit 2,000 screens globally, including 300 screens abroad.
In Bangalore and Mysore, tickets for the film sold at between Rs 750 and Rs 1500 in the first week.
Zaibunnissa, however, denied the allegation that theatre owners had taken the commercial tax department for a ride by keeping it in the dark about the inflated rates.
“They had informed us about the inflated ticket prices. We said it was fine, so long as they paid us 30 per cent entertainment tax on every ticket sold plus a show tax of Rs 118 per show. That’s one reason why we received this kind of revenue from Enthiran,” she said.
Rajinikanth’s success story in Karnataka began with Basha and Padayappa.
Padayappa’s distribution rights had cost Rs 85 lakh, while Enthiran’s rights cost a whopping Rs 9.5 crore. Despite the cost factor, many feel, that Rajni today is the best and safest bet in the market.
Courtesy :http://www.bangaloremirror.com/article/10/2010102220101022065812652fea988b6/Chitti-the-robot-delights-tax-officials.html
Kerala box office - October 1 to 15
The Kerala Box-office is booming. It’s raining hits as all Ramzan releases have been declared hits. However, the biggest hit in October is Rajinikanth’s Enthiran, which has turned out to be the biggest Tamil hit in Kerala. Take a look at its awesome collections.
Enthiran has taken a distributors’ share of Rs 4.65 crore from 128 releasing screens in 14 days. Phenomenal! It is better than any Malayalam superstar films’ share and is the clear number one by a mile.
Way down at number two is Elsamma Enna Aankutty, steady but strong in all centres, with family audiences patronising it in a big way. It has grossed an impressive Rs 46 lakhs in three weeks from Sreepadmanabha in Thiruvanthapuram.
Prithviraj’s Anwar has opened to a thundering day one opening, but carries mixed reports and is at number three.
In fourth position is Mohanlal’s Shikar and in the fifth place is Mammootty’sPranchiyettan and the Saint.
Robot sets a new trend in Pune!
Prabhat Talkies screens Hindi movie after 10 years.
Here’s the latest feather in Rajinikant’s cap. After giving Monalisa that smile, knowing Victoria’s secret and getting Google to Rajinikant, he has made it possible for Prabhat Talkies to screen a Hindi film — Robot the Hindi version of the South Indian superstar’s Enthiran.
What’s so great about this, you ask! Well, Prabhat considered the Mecca of Marathi cinema hasn’t screened a Hindi film here since 2001.
While superstar Rajinikanth-starrer Enthiran and Robot (Hindi) are making waves all over the country, Pune isn’t too far behind. Much like the rampage of the Rajini clones in the film, continuing its record march through the country, Robot has managed to register this significant achievement.
It is being shown in Prabhat Talkies predominantly known for showcasing Marathi movies. Prabhat Talkies, Pune’s oldest cinema theatre has entered it’s 76th year. During the last decade and half, it has become the bastion of Marathi movies.
The last time a Hindi movie was showcased here was in 2001, when Veer Savarkar, produced by Sudhir Phadke, was screened here.
So, when posters of Robot were put up at Prabhat Talkies last week on Friday, people had a hard time believing it. Padmakar Wagh, the manager of Prabhat Talkies, said, “It was unbelievable for movie connoisseurs to see a Hindi movie poster put up here.
When people rang up to enquire about the show timings and they heard that we were screening Robot at 6.30 pm and 9.30 pm, they exclaimed, “Is this really Prabhat?”
When asked how and why Robot made it’s way to the theatre, the manager laid to rest all doubts this reporter had of a hostage-like situation masterminded by Chitti-turned-evil.
Wagh said, “There was a huge demand from moviegoers that the movie be screened here. Many people had asked us about it as Robot was making it to the headlines. There was a lot of curiosity about the film.
People who did not want to shell out much money in multiplexes, wanted to watch Robot here. The booking of the movie has lived up to its demand.”
Wagh refused to give this reporter specific numbers, saying that he could not disclose the figures.
According to Wagh, before Veer Savarkar in 2001, real commercial Hindi movies that played here were Fareb and Machis in 1996. It seems that Rajini has started a new trend at Prabhat, Dabangg is also being screened at the theatre now.
Wagh said, “Robot was brought here on public demand. After playing in many multiplexes and theatres in city, we brought it here on an experimental basis. It was played along with Dabangg one a show each day.
In terms of collections, it is somewhat ahead of Dabangg. You can safely say that is first Hindi movie in a decade here.” And just in case you were wondering, “Nahin, Prabhat badnaam nahin hua”.
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