- Jana Nayagan will release on July 23 with strong advance overseas ticket sales
- Worldwide advance bookings crossed Rs 4 crore as of July 16
- Film set for 1500-2000 theatres in North India with no major Hindi competition
With Tamil Nadu CM Vijay's Jana Nayagan all set to release on July 23, advance ticket sales have begun on a very strong note in overseas markets. Bookings have opened across several international territories, with more screens and shows expected to be added. According to Sacnilk, early reports suggest that Jana Nayagan had crossed Rs 4 crore in worldwide advance bookings as of July 16.
As NDTV reported earlier, shows in South India will begin from 6 am onwards on July 23, while in Tamil Nadu, the first shows will start from 9 am onwards. In fact, Bengaluru was the first city to open ticket sales in India, and the 6 am shows for Jana Nayagan on July 23 are nearly sold out, as can be seen on BookMyShow.
One often hears of tickets for Vijay or Ajith Kumar films being sold at Rs 1,000 per ticket in Tamil Nadu for the first-day, first-show screening, but this is not likely to happen for Jana Nayagan since Vijay is now Chief Minister.
Sources say that he has told his team to be extra cautious about the sale and pricing of tickets, as he does not want any controversies or to be seen as being lenient, given that it is his film. Theatres will also reportedly be monitored to ensure they do not sell tickets above the government-approved price.
Speaking to NDTV about ticket sales in Tamil Nadu, which begin on July 19, Tamil film financier and distributor Tiruppur Subramaniam said that first-day tickets would sell out quickly thanks to Vijay's fans.
"In other states, there is flexible ticket pricing, so we see tickets being sold at Rs 800 to Rs 1,000 in states like Karnataka. However, in Tamil Nadu, there is fixed pricing, and we can't sell a ticket for more than Rs 190. And this is the price at which the tickets will be sold here. With Vijay being a big star in Tamil Nadu and now Chief Minister, we are expecting the movie to do well," he added.
Another producer, on condition of anonymity, told NDTV that Vijay fan clubs were not looking to buy tickets in bulk for July 23 as of now. "Vijay's party, Tamilaga Vetri Kazhagam, will buy tickets and distribute them to its members, but they won't be sold at a high price. Thalapathy is being strict about this," he added.
In North India, the KVN Productions film is going to release in around 1,500 to 2,000 theatres, and this is thanks to audience demand, emphasises Pankaj Jaysinh, Director of Vibe Media Works and distributor.
"The demand for Vijay's upcoming film Jana Nayagan is exceptionally high, prompting distributors to lock in an extensive theatrical release. The audience is very curious about Vijay now that he is also the Chief Minister of Tamil Nadu. Jana Nayagan is set to benefit from a clear release window on July 24, facing no major Hindi competition in northern markets, which will likely maximise theatre footfall as well. In fact, the Tamil-speaking centres (such as Malad, Sion and Andheri) in Mumbai have shows from 4 am onwards on July 23!"
As of now, there is high anticipation for Vijay's Jana Nayagan, especially since the opening title card is expected to read 'The Honourable Chief Minister of Tamil Nadu C Joseph Vijay.' The H. Vinoth-directed film also stars Bobby Deol, Pooja Hegde, Mamitha Baiju, Prakash Raj, and Gautham Vasudev Menon. The music by Anirudh Ravichander has already topped the charts.
However, the big question on everyone's mind is whether Tamil Nadu CM Vijay will catch the FDFS of his last film in theatres along with his fans. Guess we'll have to wait and watch.
Also Read: Can Jana Nayagan Rewrite Vijay's Records? The Two Films Thalapathy Needs To Beat