Parmathma Got Better Net Than Sarathi – Exclusive

paramathma actress deepa sannidhi, puneeth rajkumar

There is considerable confusion among the general Kannada film fans and some of  the enlightened film personalities that includes a couple of well meaning  journalists also  as to how a film like Paramathma which was just released under eighty single screens and fifteen multiplexes was able to collect more than  the first week collections of a hugely popular film like  Sarathee for  which  the Box office Juggernaut seems to be  unstoppable even in its third week.

Sarathee has been released with  an extra ordinary opening and a very positive opinion, while Paramathma also did get a fantastic opening but with a divided opinion.   But Paramathma’s  eight day collections is more than Sarathee’s collections which had already established as a big block buster after its first week’s box office performance.  But the ticket prices in theatres and multiplexes had remained the same as in the case of other Kannada films released in the respective theatres.

For example in Narathaki theatre, the ticket rates was Rs. 70 for Balcony and Rs. 50 for lower class. While Sarathee is doing well in almost all the centres it has been released so far, the collections for the film Paramathma  have remained constant with lesser admission rates  in the main theatres in the second week, while the collections in B and C centres have dropped considerably.  Then how Paramathma collections have overshadowed Sarathee’s collections is the raging doubt that is  being asked by many fim pesonalities and journalists.

Well, the answer is a little bit of  good and intelligent economics and the fact that the combination of  Power Star Puneeth and  top director Yogaraj Bhat was able to attract huge audience in the first week which had a number of Holidays.   The second factor is that Jayanna, the producer of Paramathma had increased the ticket fare in almost all thesingle screen  theatres in the state (except in the Shimoga distribution area where increase in ticket rates was protested by volunteers of  Karnataka Rakshana Vedike) starting from 25 percent to nearly 80 percent.  In multiplexes the rates were increased from 60 to 100 percent.   The rents remained the same in the single screens while the percentage sharing in multiplexes in the ratio of  50 : 50 to the producers and multiplexes ensured a win win situation for both Jayanna and Multiplexes.  Multiplexes like PVR, INOX in Malleshwaram and Jayanagar, Fun, Big Cinemas have virtually made a killing by increasing the ticket rates by nearly 100 percent.

sarathi actor darshan, actress deepa sannidhi

Take  for example the INOX multiplex itself.  The ticket rates for the first week was Rs. 220 while this has been reduced after the first week.  Even if you take a conservative estimate and work out for an average occupancy of  60 percent in the Holiday week, the INOX multiplex share is  fifty percent more than the weekly rent of about Rs. 4 lacs in Santhosh.  The same is the case for PVR multiplex which has roughly earned twice the share amount in its first week than any other Kannada film with normal ticket rates.  Even Jayanna will not complain as he has got good double the normal share amount from multiplexes.  In Gopalan Mall, the ticket rates for week ends is a little more than Rs. 100 charged for normal days in the second week for Paramathma.  The film has been retained in all the multiplexes in the second week  with lesser shows in a few multiplexes like Cine Polis which has dropped from weekly nine shows to five, Fame multiplex has dropped from five to three shows. Number of screens and shows have also been recduced in the  Fun and Gopalan Mall multiplexes in Sirsi Circle and Raja Rajeshwari Nagar.  In the Rockline Multiplex the ticket rates have been pegged to Rs. 120 which is attracting ranging from 40 to  50percent occupancy.   Take the case of theatres like  Santhosh, Veeresh (both screens), Uma where the ticket rates were Rs. 100 for Balcony.

Santhosh had increased from Rs. 80 to Rs. 100  per ticket which meant a 25 percent increase, while in case of  Uma and Veeresh it was nearly seventy percent.

sarathi actor darshan, actress deepa sannidhi, paramathma actress deepa sannidhi, actor puneeth rajkumar

Since the Balcony tickets are being sold at the earliest,  the decision  of raising the ticket fare for the most expected film looked like an icing on the cake idea.  The ticket rates in Veeresha, Siddeshwara,  Venkateshwara  and Uma were Rs. 60 earlier but when increased for Rs. 100 for Paramathma in its first week generated a big revenue for Jayanna.  The ticket rates in Cauvery did not change for Paramathma as its balcony tickets for non Kannada and Kannada films were the same as Rs. 100.    Same is in the case of Mysore, Mandya,Hubli and Davanagere theatres where ticket rates for Balcony were increased to Rs. 100.  Take for example the earnings in the first eight days of Paraamathma in Santhosh which has given a big producer’s share of  Rs.23 lacs, while with the old ticket rates it would have collected over Rs. 16 lacs.

The big share that the producer was able to generate in the first week of Paramathma was only possible for a  hugely expected  Puneet Raj Kumar and Yogaraj Bhat combination film, as other producers would not have taken such a big risk.

This is the precise reason why Paramathma was able to collect nearly Rs. 6.50 crores net in the  first eight days  compared to around Rs. 4.00 crores  for the first seven days of Saraathee.

(Article by – RG Vijayasarathy).........................