No Leo Hindi release in multiplexes? No problem, says North Indian film exhibitor

A lot of fuss has been made about the Hindi version of Leo, starring Thalapathy Vijay, missing out on major multiplex screens in the North Indian states owing to its OTT deal. Many have deemed it as detrimental to the movie's earning potential which could effectively undercut its ability to reach the Rs 1000 crore milestone at the box office.

However, not every stakeholder in the value chain seems to share the sentiment about multiplex chains steering clear of Leo's Hindi version. "All this hullabaloo in the trade around thalapathy @actorvijay & @Dir_Lokesh’s #Leo (Hindi) not playing in certain cinema chains is really unwarranted. Producers see more business sense in playing such mass entertainers with single screen cinemas & smaller theatre chains (as did @sunpictures @Nelsondilpkumar & superstar @rajinikanth’s #Jailer among various other films), which is great!, says film exhibitor Akshaye Rathi, runs a chain of cinemas across Maharashtra, Madhya Pradesh and other parts of North India.

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Akshaye argued that movies like Leo are made targeting single-screen audiences, who crave mass masala movies. He suggested the current release strategy of the producers will help the movie to reach its intended audience.

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Leo will appeal to the target Hindi audience

"There are hundreds of niche, urban films every year, that play only in the larger multiplex chains & never reach single screens or smaller chains, because producers aren’t keen to develop a market for them beyond what apparently exists already! Hence, it’s perfectly fine for producers like @7screenstudio to do what they are doing & letting the mass audience enjoy films that appeal most to them at cinemas that they love going to! for a smashing run & look forward to experiencing the madness FDFS!," he added.

As per the industry norm in the Hindi belt, the national multiplex chains don't screen Hindi movies because they don't comply with the 8-week gap between the theatrical and digital release.

Given that Leo is likely to make its debut on the streaming platform four weeks after its theatrical release, the multiplex chains have decided not to screen the movie, despite the unprecedented hype surrounding it.

ALSO READ: Thalapathy Vijay's Leo creates record at US box office, beats Rajinikanth's Jailer even before release

However, the producers of Leo, Seven Screen Studio, are not very concerned about this factor. Producer Lalit Kumar is in the process of giving a big launch for Leo worldwide. Earlier, he noted that the Hindi version of Leo will hit over 2,000 screens in the North Indian states.