PS 2: No special shows for the magnum opus in Tamil Nadu. Will it be able to surpass PS 1 opening on day one?

With less than three days left for the release of one of the much-awaited sequels of Tamil cinema, Ponniyin Selvan 2, movie buffs are eager to know how Mani Ratnam is going to conclude the second part. The advance ticket booking began in the US first, and a record release has been planned there by distributors.

ALSO READ: Mani Ratnam's Ponniyin Selvan 2 will be Tamil cinema's first Rs 1000 crore movie: Leo producer SS Lalit Kumar 

All eyes were on the booking in Tamil Nadu which began by Saturday evening. Cinephiles were surprised to see that booking was charted only for shows that started at 9 am. This was the scenario in all leading single screens and multiplexes in the state.

Though many thought that exhibitors would later add booking for early morning shows, it never happened. Apparently, when Thunivu and Varisu released earlier this year with numerous special shows in the early morning, an order was issued by the Commissionerate of Revenue Administration and Disaster Management against the practice.

They issued a GO asking exhibitors not to encourage such special shows and said that strict actions will be implemented if the rules pertaining to screening movies are violated. The GO also mentioned that no big size cut-outs should be erected in the premises of movie halls.

This move has come as a setback for exhibitors especially when they have been looking forward to raking in big numbers on the release day of Ponniyin Selvan 2. The recent notable releases like Dhanush's Vaathi, Jayam Ravi's Agilan and Silambarasan's Pathu Thala, too, were denied special shows. In the current scenario, surpassing the day one numbers of Ponniyin Selvan 1 looks almost impossible.

ALSO READ: Ponniyin Selvan-1 box office: The Mani Ratnam film gets close to making Rs 500 crore worldwide 

PS 1, which hit the screens on September 30 last year, grossed around 25 crores on its first day in Tamil Nadu. The movie had collected 80 crores from across the world on day one. Contrary to the expectations, PS 2 lacks the hype required for the sequel of a massive blockbuster. Movie buffs hope that unanimous positive word of mouth after initial shows on April 28 would help garner huge hype for the movie.