KGF-2 set to make history with geographic spread & economics

Tryst with the trailblazer

‘Rocking Star’ Yash-starrer KGF Chapter 2 is all set to achieve many milestones as far as the Kannada film industry is concerned.

Produced by Hombale Films and directed by Prashanth Neel, the action drama will go down in Sandalwood history as the first flick whose online ticket bookings closed for many screens within minutes after the bookings were opened.

The flick will be Sandalwood’s first pan-India film is likely to gross over Rs 90 crore on Day One in India alone, including all versions. The Kannada version itself is likely to earn over Rs 30 crore.

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The sequel will also be the first Kannada flick to be run on maximum screens and to witness the highest number of shows on Day One, surpassing late actor Pueenth Rajkumar’s ‘James’, released on March 17.

The number of countries where it is being released is also the highest for any Kannada film so far for. It will be released in as many as 75 countries.

“Till Sunday evening, 300 screens were finalised for Bengaluru alone. The numbers will go up further. Clarity on the number of screens in Karnataka and Bengaluru will be known only by Wednesday evening,” a Hombale Films representative told DH.

Ticket rates up 3 fold

The face value of a ticket for different categories has been increased by a three-fold, unprecedented increase for any Kannada films so far. It was a two-fold increase for ‘James’.

For KGF Chapter 2, an Rs-100 ticket is priced at Rs 300, a Rs-80 ticket is priced at Rs 250 in all single-screen theatres in Bengaluru. In multiplexes, the minimum price of a ticket is Rs 400. Prices have also been increased in theatres in the rest of Karnataka.

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“The increased ticket price structure will last for a week. The increase lasted for just three days for many films, including ‘James’. This helps distributors and theatre owners earn additional money. You can’t call it unethical as the audiences voluntarily pay,” a leading exhibitor said.

“Number of shows permitted per day on single screens is five, but most theatres are likely to run over six shows a day. It is difficult to run over five shows in multiplexes, but you can’t rule out the possibility of the increase for the flick,” he added.

Additional shows are run as fans’ shows. Mostly, there won’t be online bookings for such shows.

Over 3,000 shows

Trends till Sunday indicated that Bengaluru alone will witness over 1,500 shows and the rest of Karnataka over 1,500 on Day One. The numbers are likely to go up. Many theatre owners have decided to approach police for security, considering untoward incidents at some places a day before ‘James’ ‘was released.

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