Did Darbar TN distributors incur losses?

Superstar Rajinikanth’s Darbar hit the screens worldwide on January 9. Since then, there have been questions raised on the collection that the film has made in its theatrical run. As Lyca sold the film to various distributors, they are not in a position to give a clear picture on the film’s collection. A trade analyst told DT Next, “The film according to Lyca is a profitable venture. It is because the film was made on a budget of Rs 240 crore (approx.), that includes Rajinikanth and Murugadoss’ remunerations. In order to make the film profitable, it was sold to various distributors for a minimum of Rs 320 crore. However, the distributors who bought the film for a high price in certain areas have incurred a loss.” Darbar also became the first film in which the Superstar touched the Rs 100 crore salary mark, which is the first-ever for a Tamil actor. “Rajini was paid Rs 108 crore for the film,” the source added.

When contacted, Tirupur Subramaniam, the President of Tamil Nadu Theatre Owners’ Association said, “The distributors knew that they were at loss because there is transparency in Tamil cinema and we know how much Darbar has collected. Not certain areas, but distributors across Tamil Nadu have incurred a loss of 20-25 per cent in terms of Darbar’s theatrical collection. Though we don’t know how the film has fared overseas and other states, the footfall in TN theatres is not impressive.”