Jana Nayagan, starring Chief Minister C. Joseph Vijay, was released on Thursday, drawing crowds to cinemas across the State. Cinema owners in the southern districts reported a noticeable increase in women turning up for ‘first day’ shows.

Several cinemas and multiplexes in Madurai, Coimbatore, and Tiruchi recorded a healthy occupancy, while smaller screens witnessed a relatively modest footfall of around 40%-50%.

For Friday, most cinemas in Chennai said occupancy levels were hovering around 70%-75%. The big multiplexes reported a full house. However, cinemas in Tier 2 and Tier 3 towns reported bookings of around 40%, with many expecting last-minute bookings at the counters. Even online ticket booking platform BookMyShow had multiple slots available across cinemas.

“On day one, we had TVK cadre booking tickets. A large number of women cadre also came in. In general, we see more women turning up for any of Vijay’s films, but this time the numbers were slightly higher.” said S. Jegan Agilan, Managing Partner of Jagan Cinemas in Ramanathapuram.

M. Manoj Kumar, Managing Director of Ganesh Cinemas in Melur, Madurai, said: “We have four screens, and all of them are showing Jana Nayagan this weekend. We’ve seen a mixed audience of families and young women, with the number of women moviegoers being slightly higher than usual.”

Udeep Reddy, Managing Director of Mayajaal, said the movie was running in all 16 screens. “For a film which got pirated, and which most of the fans have watched already, it has achieved a very good opening,” he said.

Social media was abuzz with posts claiming that tickets were being sold at inflated prices in some cinemas. However, two cinema owners pointed out that the majority of tickets are sold online at fixed prices. They said people who purchase tickets online may later resell them in the black market.

“We don’t know who is buying the tickets online. Whoever presents a valid ticket is allowed into the theatre. If movie-goers have paid extra to someone without our knowledge, it is not our responsibility,” a cinema owner said.

In several cinemas in Tiruchi, to cash in on the ‘first day, first show’ craze, tickets were being sold for upwards of ₹500 in the black market, many fans complained. “My son wanted to watch the film today, but tickets at our local cinema were priced at ₹500, and so I refused. We will have to wait and see the movie on TV or on OTT later,” a parent said.

Most major cinemas in Tiruchi avoided offering bulk bookings to fan clubs to give everyone an opportunity to watch the film. “We have maintained an online system for ticket booking, at ₹190 per ticket. We want everyone to watch the film,” an official from LA Cinemas in Tiruchi said.

In Madurai region, a large number of police personnel were deployed in front of cinema houses where the film was released.

Published - July 24, 2026 12:52 am IST