Speaking to the press after watching his recently released film ‘Checkmate’, Anoop Menon explained that the occupancy rates displayed online for these premiere screenings are often misleading and give a false sense of success.
Trailer for “Manorathangal”: Official trailer for “Manorathangal”, starring Kamal Haasan and Mammootty
“This is a very dangerous trend happening in Malayalam cinema these days,” explained Anoop Menon, highlighting how this practice affects both filmmakers and audiences. He explained that a significant amount of money is invested in theatres in the first three days of a film’s release to create the impression of high demand and attraction. However, this investment often exceeds the actual production cost of the film, which is a worrying sign for the Mollywood industry.
Explaining the situation further, Anoop Menon said, “The cinema halls will be full but there will hardly be 12 people in the theatre.” This discrepancy between online bookings and actual theatre occupancy is a concern for filmmakers who believe that their films are attracting a large audience due to these inflated booking numbers. In reality, the cinema attendance is far from the expectations, leading to disappointment and financial losses.
He also stressed that these methods of artificially increasing viewership are not foolproof and could have a negative impact on the industry in the long term.
Anoop Menon’s film “Checkmate” has now been released in cinemas, but has received only mediocre reviews from audiences.
