No more early morning shows for big-ticket Tamil films even outside TN

Chennai: There will be no more 4.30am release of Tamil films even outside the state. Tamil Nadu stopped early morning release of big budget films in 2023 when a fan died in a stampede at 'Thunivu' screening.
Tired of too many ads? go ad free now
Yet, producers continued to have releases at 4.30am in other states, while keeping the 9am show as the first show within Tamil Nadu.
Now, big-ticket films, including Kamal Hassan's ;Thug Life;, will only hit screens from 9am onwards. Producers blame poor security in neighbouring states, rising theatre vandalism, low booking commissions for theatres, and paid reviews before release, affecting the bookings adversely.
Even Ajith's Good Badly Ugly and Suriya's Retro had only 9 am releases.
S R Prabhu, producer with Dream Warrior Pictures, said early morning shows are getting regulated in all states. "It's a challenge to secure police security for such early shows in other states. Fans come in craze, and mishaps tend to happen. So, many prefer not to have such shows early in the day," he said.
Prabhu mentioned that paid influencers and YouTube reviewers who attend such shows give exaggerated reviews, both positive and negative, for reach.
"So, even before a movie is released, it affects the booking. We just want people to directly view the show instead of getting influenced by such reviews," he said.
Thiruppur Kumaran, representing Tamil Nadu Theater and Multiplex Owners Association, said fans come drunk and end up vandalising the seats and screens. "We cannot control the frenzy on such occasions. It's better to have morning shows," he said.
People from Coimbatore mostly go to Kerala to watch, while those in Krishnagiri go to Bengaluru. Fans from Chennai go to Nagari in Andhra Pradesh to catch early shows. Prabhu also added that when fan clubs book in bulk, theatres don't get booking commissions.

Try Our AI Features

Explore what Daily8 AI can do for you:

Learn with AIFact CheckingText to SpeechAI Summary

Related Articles

Indian Express

41 minutes ago

• Indian Express

Google used YouTube's video library to train its most powerful AI tool yet: Report

Google used thousands of YouTube videos to train its latest Gemini and Veo 3 models, even as most creators remain unaware of their content being used for AI training purposes. Veo 3 is the tech giant's most advanced AI video generation model that was unveiled at this year's I/O developer conference. It is capable of generating realistic, cinematic-level videos with complete sound and even dialogue. And Google leveraged a subset of the 20-billion catalogue of YouTube videos to train these cutting-edge AI tools, according to a report by CNBC. While it is unclear which of the 20 billion videos on YouTube were used for AI training, Google said that it honours agreements with creators and media companies. 'We've always used YouTube content to make our products better, and this hasn't changed with the advent of AI. We also recognize the need for guardrails, which is why we've invested in robust protections that allow creators to protect their image and likeness in the AI era — something we're committed to continuing.' a company spokesperson was quoted as saying. Creators have the option to block companies like Amazon, Nvidia, and Apple from using their content for AI training. But they do not have the choice to opt out when it comes to Google. While YouTube has previously shared all of this information, many creators and media organisations are yet to fully understand that Google is allowed to train its AI models on YouTube's video library. YouTube's Terms of Service state that 'by providing Content to the Service, you grant to YouTube a worldwide, non-exclusive, royalty-free, sublicensable and transferable license to use that Content.' YouTube content could be used to 'improve the product experience … including through machine learning and AI applications,' the company further said in a blog post published in September 2024. Independent creators have raised concerns that their content is being used to train AI models that could eventually compete with or replace them. AI-generated content also leads to the rise of other models that could compete with human creators who have said that they are neither credited nor compensated for their contributions. Last week, The Walt Disney Company and Comcast's Universal said that they have filed a copyright lawsuit against Midjourney, accusing the AI image generator of unlawfully copying and distributing their most iconic characters. Describing the tool as a 'bottomless pit of plagiarism,' the studios alleged that Midjourney recreated and monetised copyrighted figures without permission. Days later, the AI research lab rolled out its first-ever text-to-video generation model called V1. According to Midjourney, V1 can be used to convert images into five-second AI-generated video clips. Users can also upload images or use an AI-generated image by Midjourney to animate the image.

Time of India

44 minutes ago

• Time of India

Nani's 'HIT 3' faces plagiarism controversy; a writer moves court against Sailesh Kolanu's directorial

Actor Nani 's film 'HIT 3,' which was released on May 1st, garnered a lot of attention in the Telugu film industry. Srinidhi Shetty of 'KGF' fame played the female lead in the film. Additionally, actor Karthi also appeared in a cameo role. The film, directed by Sailesh Kolanu , was produced by Nani himself. The film released in various languages, including Telugu, Tamil, and Hindi, was well received by the audience. 'HIT 3' established itself as a unique thriller film. 'HIT: The Third Case' faces plagiarism complaint. In this situation, the film 'HIT 3' is embroiled in a story plagiarism case. According to Nakkheeran, writer Sonia Vimal has filed a case in the Madras High Court . She has alleged that the story of the film 'HIT: The Third Case' is very similar to the story of 'Agent 11 and Agent 5' that she wrote. Although Sonia Vimal has not yet published her story, she registered it with the South Indian Writers' Association on August 4, 2021. Sonia Vimal's narration to Nani Then, on August 8, 2022, Sonia Vimal said that she told Nani the summary of the story and was hoping for a good response. But she said she was shocked when she didn't get any response. Later, when she watched the film 'HIT 3,' she said she was shocked to see that some changes were made to the story without her permission and the film was filmed as is. by Taboola by Taboola Sponsored Links Sponsored Links Promoted Links Promoted Links You May Like Florida New Policy for Senior Drivers The Quote General Learn More Undo She stated in her petition that she had also complained about this to the Writers' Association, but no action was taken. Hearing scheduled on July 7 Furthermore, Sonia Vimal has listed the similarities between her story and the film 'HIT 3' and submitted it before the judge. She has also demanded that 20 percent of the film's revenue be paid as compensation. The Madras High Court, which heard the case, ordered a notice to be sent to the film's production team. The court adjourned the case for hearing on July 7. The matter has become a major topic of discussion in the film world.

Time of India

an hour ago

• Time of India

Throwback to Rajnikanth and Kamal Hassan lending heartfelt support to Thalapathy Vijay's film, Sarkar.

Despite getting mixed reactions, Thalapathy Vijay 's movie Sarkar was released in cinemas in 2018 and gained wide acclaim. The movie quickly garnered the attention of the audience and went on to gross Rs. 256 crores worldwide. When the movie was released, many AIADMK ministers and party cadres expressed their displeasure over certain scenes in the film. Several party cadres even went on to protest outside various theaters in Tamil Nadu and indulged in damaging the banners of the film and cutouts of Vijay. They demanded that certain scenes from the movie be removed immediately. Later, in an act of camaraderie and support, legendary actors Rajnikanth and Kamal Hassan lashed out on their Twitter platforms, condemning the behavior and unlawful acts of violence, such as damaging the film's banners and Vijay's cutouts. Rajinikanth lashed out against these acts. He took to Twitter and wrote in Tamil, "To protest for the removal of certain scenes from the movie and stop it from being screened after the Censor Board has certified it is against the law. I strongly condemn this act." Actor-politician Kamal Haasan had also strongly objected to the actions of the AIADMK government regarding the issue. "It isn't new for this government to act and pressurize against a film like Sarkar, which has completed its censor formalities properly. A government that can't face criticism can go off on a tangent. Commercialized politicians will soon vanish, and the good people will win," Haasan tweeted. In the film, Vijay plays an NRI who returns to India to vote, only to realize his vote has been cast illegally. He then digs deep into the matter, stirring up a political turmoil. Actor Thalapathy Vijay was last seen on the silver screen with his blockbuster movie, Greatest of All Time (released in 2024). He has decided to lean into politics after the completion of his next big project. One of the most anticipated movies of the actor, Jana Nayagan, directed by H. Vinoth, is scheduled to release on 9th January, 2026.