Low on theatrical cash, Dharma's Kill could still be profitable
Also, India's top chain PVR-INOX's loss widens.
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Have you guys heard of this movie Kill? I can’t remember the last time I opened Instagram and there wasn’t a post about it.
I blame the algorithms. But there is a lot more to this film’s marketing than just a barrage of social media posts. Also, interesting developments in cinema chain business.
Let’s dive in!
Film analysis. Not a review
Kill’s max marketing isn’t killing it at Indian box office
The first time I ever heard about Kill was in September 2023 when Indian film critic Sucharita Tyagi posted the movie’s video review on her YouTube channel. She watched the film at the Toronto International Film Festival (TIFF) last year.
Not much in terms of Kill’s promotional material was revealed except for its poster. In this, Kill’s lead actor Lakshya is scar faced with a knife to his neck.
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The poster definitely grabbed my attention and I also got slightly intrigued about the film. It cut the clutter for multiple reasons.
Instead of seeing strong men saving India on a poster, Kill’s lead protagonist is injured, in a chokehold, and seems to be starring at death. But his eyes were filled with rage. This coupled with the title indicated the film to be a different kind of action drama. And having a slightly familiar face like Lakshya’s, instead of a known actor, also helped as it felt refreshing.
Since then, Kill’s producers, including Karan Johar of Dharma Production and Sikhya Entertainment’s Guneet Monga, have not left any stone unturned in promoting this film. From screenings across international film festivals including Beyond Fest, Saudi Arabia’s Red Sea International Film Festival and Tribeca Film Festival to holding screenings in Pune, Patna and Chandigarh, among other Indian cities.
Lakshya, along with other cast and crew members, revealed Kill’s July 5 theatrical release date almost five months in advance.
Apart from Lakshya, dancer-actor Raghav Juyal and Tanya Maniktala (BBC One’s A Suitable Boy) also star in the film. It was such a delight to watch a fresh pairing with Juyal’s portrayal of a psychotic dacoit and steady performances delivered by supporting cast members.
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Its teaser trailer was dropped almost three months prior to its release. This is much advance notice for audience considering the recent trend of movie trailers dropping mere weeks before the theatrical release.
Since then, bits of information about Kill is being released as a constant reminder to the audience. With a little nudge from digital algorithms, the film would have penetrated through many smartphones and social media profiles.
We wrote extensively about the evolution of film marketing in Overshoot’s 2023 Holiday special edition. You can read it here.
The makers were also consistent with the film’s description as ‘bloodiest or goriest film ever made in India’ while promoting the film. Kill was also glistened with reviews from New York Times, The Guardian, Indie Wire and The Hollywood Reporter (THR).
But in 10 days (up till July 14) of theatrical run, the film has generated close to ₹14.9 crore (US $1.7 million approx.), according to Box Office India, with Kerala, among other southern Indian states, contributing better to ticket sales compared to the Hindi-speaking belt.
Kill by all means is a very engrossing film. It doesn’t let you look at your phone or any other distractions.
But as THR’s film critic Frank Scheck puts it “The John Wick movies are similar in their extensive piling on, but at least they have the sense to stop once in a while for quieter moments in which Keanu Reeves does some picturesque brooding”.
Kill expresses the most in moments of stillness. The breathing space the film gives its protagonists also translates to some comic relief and digestion time for the audience.
But these moments are far and few especially in the second half. At least two women, in the sparsely filled cinema hall I was in, left 20 mins before the film ended as the gore only increased in intensity.
This does not necessarily mean that the film is a loss-making venture. Most things considered, my estimate on Kill’s budget would be ₹30-50 crore in production spends.
Dharma and Sikhya have also sold Kill’s the United States of America (USA) and the UK-release rights to Roadshow Attractions, an American distribution firm, and film remake rights to Lionsgate and 87Eleven Entertainment, John Wick movies’ director Chad Stahelski’s company.
If sales of music, streaming (sold to Amazon Prime Video) and satellite, among other rights, are considered with its entire theatrical, Kill will at least break-even if not generate a profit.
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Cinema
Sony Pictures enters American film distribution,
by acquiring Texas-based Alamo Drafthouse Cinema.
This makes Sony Pictures Entertainment the first major studio to distribute films in the US since anti-trust standards United States v. Paramount Pictures, Inc. or Paramount Consent Decrees were repealed in August 2020 during peak Covid-19 pandemic.
Established in the 1940s and early 50s, the antitrust regulations would protect movie theatres from five major and three minor studios, who could monopolise film production, distribution and exhibition, says Reuters. These regulations also led to a diverse set of films getting screen space in the US.
Columbia University’s law division explains the consequences of repealing the Paramount Decrees and its impact on American cinema chains in the streaming age. Read more here.
PVR-INOX’s net loss shoots up to ₹179 crore
in the June-ended quarter in FY2024-25 from ₹82 crores for same quarter in FY2023-24. This development comes after film releases were postpone across languages due to Lok Sabha elections and the latest Indian Premier League season.
India’s top cinema chain operator PVR-INOX’s revenue from operations was at ₹1,190.7 crore, an 8.75 percent decline, compared to June-ended quarter last financial year. Full financial report here.
In case you missed it…
A live stream of an hot dog eating competition is coming up on Netflix (THR).
Happenings at the Mainland China Box Office (Variety).
How Disney Is Trying to Be as Addictive as Netflix (The Wall Street Journal).
Try catching Fly Me to The Moon in theatres with your date or lover.
The Scarlett Johansson and Channing Tatum-starrer is funny, romantic and is filled with a lot of quirk. You won’t regret it.
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