The advance booking for Rajinikanth's Kaala has opened in Kerala even before Tamil Nadu. The Pa Ranjith directorial will release on June 7. The tickets for the first day are being sold online.
Majestic Theatre in Kochi has commenced the advance booking a few days ago and the response seems to be good. However, the full-fledged pre-booking in other centres is yet to open.
Surprisingly, the exhibitors in Tamil Nadu and especially in Chennai are yet to start the advance booking. Usually, the pre-booking used to begin 8-10 days before the release for Rajinikanth's films.
Industry insiders say that the movies of Rajinikanth are promoted well, but this time the makers of Kaala have not publicised the flick much. Hence, the expectations are low which is why the exhibitors have not started the pre-booking.
As a result, there is slight doubt among the trade trackers whether Kaala would set the box office on fire. "Rajinikanth may be a box-office king, but this time there are many factors working against his film. The tense situation in Tamil Nadu after Sterlite shooting episode has created an atmosphere where people are apparently not interested in films," says a trade analyst from Tamil Nadu on the condition of anonymity.
"To add salt to the injury, Rajini's statement on Sterlite has irked a section of the people and there was a campaign from his haters to boycott the film. Hence, the film might end up getting a decent opening," the trade analyst added.
At this stage, the makers have planned to release in over 2,000 screens in Tamil, Telugu and Hindi across the globe.
Meanwhile, Kaala has run into trouble in Karnataka where pro-Kannada groups are protesting against Rajinikanth's stand on Cauvery. The distributor himself has backed out to release the flick.
