'Baahubali': Kerala Release Hit as A Class Theatres Go on Strike

"Baahubali", the multi-lingual magnum opus, is facing problems in Kerala as A Class theatre owners have decided to close down theatres on its opening day.

The decision of the Kerala Film Exhibitors Federation headed by Liberty Basheer has irked many other organisations associated with the film industry.

Reports say  Liberty Basheer has announced the shutdown until the piracy case involving the movie "Premam" is resolved.

Due to the Federation's decision, "Baahubali", which was supposed to be released in 111 screens, is now left with just about 55 screens.

Global United Media, distributors of the movie, has now suffered a huge blow as a result of this as the revenue of the movie in such wide releases usually dips after the first weekend.

It must be noted that Global United Media had  released Vikram's movie "I" in more than 200 screens in Kerala and tasted a huge success. Unfortunately, their attempt to repeat their success with "Baahubali" on a similar scale may not materialise. 

Earlier, on Wednesday, a meeting held by distributors' and producers' association had decided not to withdraw their plan for the wide release of "Baahubali".

Meanwhile, Producers Association President G. Suresh Kumar has condemned Liberty Basheer and his associates for closing down theatres. He said the Association will soon take legal action against the Exhibitors Federation for blocking the release of "Baahubali".

At the same time, "Baahubali" which has hit screens in other parts of the world, is breaking box office records. The movie has received overwhelming response on its opening day.

The epic film directed by SS Rajamoili has star cast of Prabhas, Rana Dagubbatti, Tamannaah Bhatia, Ramya Krishna, Anushka Shetty, Sudeep, Nasser, Prabhakar, Sathyaraj, Adivi Sesh, Tanikella Bharani, Rohini, Prabhakar, Rakesh Varrem Charandeep and Meka Ramakrishna.