The theatrical rights of "Kabali" are in huge demand. As a result, Rajinikanth-starrer film is likely to do a record pre-release business.
A report on the Hindu says that the pre-release business of "Kabali" is expected to reach Rs. 200 crore. The film is likely to achieve this feat from its theatrical rights, endorsements and merchandise. It must be noted that Rajinikanth's previous movie "Lingaa" had collected above Rs. 150 crore from the sale of its theatrical and satellite rights.
The leading daily adds that producer Kalaippuli S Thanu is getting a lot of recommendation letters, asking him to sell an area's distribution rights to their person. He has already sold the distribution rights of many regions, including Karnataka. According to the report, he is likely to retain the Tamil Nadu theatrical rights, which generates the major part of the revenue at the box office.
Interestingly, many from Bollywood have shown interest in buying the Hindi rights and this has boosted the confidence of the makers of the film. The amount that it fetches from Bollywood will be crucial to reach the Rs. 200-crore mark.
"Kabali" is likely to simultaneously be released in Tamil, Telugu, Hindi and Malay. There is also demand to dub the film in Chinese language. So, the industry experts say that the film would set a new benchmark for pre-release business in the South Indian film industry.
However, the makers are yet to formally announce the release date of "Kabali" even though it is widely reported that the film would hit the screens on July 1.
"Kabali" is a gangster flick, written and directed by Pa Ranjith. Radhika Apte plays the female lead in the film, which has Dhansika, Kishore and many others in the cast.
Meanwhile, the teaser of the film, which was released on May 1, has got over 20 million hits on YouTube.
