Kites Flying

Get ready for the mother of all releases in Bollywood. Kites, which is a hit even before its release, will have as many as 31 shows per day, with the earliest show starting at 6.30 am

There is bound to be a lot of excitement when a star as big as Hrithik Roshan comes up with a release, that too after two years. His last release was Jodhaa Akbar in 2008. This Friday, the Hrithik Roshan starrer Kites will go down as the biggest release in the history of multiplexes in India.

Multiplexes across the country will screen as many as 31 shows of Kites per day, which surpasses the record of 27 shows screened for the Aamir Khan starrer 3 Idiots. All this despite the fact that the film's distributor Reliance is taking a much higher advance payment from the exhibitors than they did for 3 Idiots.

Buzz in the trade is that Reliance has taken this step because they have still not entirely received the outstanding amount of 3 Idiots from some exhibitors.

A distributor says, "Hrithik and Aamir only do a few movies. So there is generally a lot of curiosity about their films. This time is no exception. Everyone is upbeat about Kites. Picture bahut garam ho gayi hai. The advance booking is good. It should do well."

The short length (124 mins) has only spurred the exhibitors into thinking big in terms of the likely profits. Devang Sampat, Senior VP, Cinemax India Ltd, says, "Yes, we are having as many as 31 shows of Kites at Versova."

Ashish Saxena, COO, Big Cinemas, says, "Apart from the crisp length of the film, Hrithik's stardom came into play when we took the decision of stepping up the number of shows. As of now, the plan is to have at least 27 shows in R City, Mulund."

Fun Cinemas, however, said that their screenings of Kites would be on par with 3 Idiots. "We will give it maximum exposure. Wherever we have six screens, we will have 30 shows," says Vishal Kapoor, COO, Fun Cinemas.

A source from Cinemax says, "The earliest show will be around 6.30 am and the last one will be around midnight." Saxena of BIG Cinemas says, "We have hired a few part timers who will assist the existing theatre staff."

As for the exorbitant amount Reliance has asked from the multiplex chains, Sampat says, "That's not a problem when it comes to a Reliance film. We usually expect great results from them. Mani Ratnam's Raavan, too looks very promising."

"The advance paid is an indication of the business expected. The kind of release we have planned for Kites says it all," seconds Saxena.

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