However, much before the counters can open, almost two-third of the paid preview tickets have already been sold out at most cinemas across the country. What’s more, in some cinemas 100 percent of the tickets have been sold in block bookings. And all this, even before the ticket counters can open on Sunday to take bookings of normal audiences who want to watch paid previews of Ghajini.
Believe it or not, the demand is so high in some multiplexes that the distributors and producers themselves are finding it tough to get paid preview tickets for their guests. So now, one wonders if the normal audience will even get a chance to buy tickets to the paid preview on Wednesday. Inox Bangalore has already sold all tickets of two out of the three paid preview shows it is organizing on Wednesday and has vigilantly decided to keep the third shows tickets to sell only to audience across the counter.
A source says, "Allu Arvind, the producer of Ghajini wanted to have a special screening of Ghajini in Hyderabad on Wednesday but the tickets are already sold out. Also Nagarjuna’s film is releasing on the same day, so it is difficult to even increase paid preview shows now."
The India distributors of Ghajini – Studio 18 too faced a similar situation at a suburban multiplex in Bombay, but they managed to organize an extra paid preview show after talking to that particular multiplex.
Till date, Bachna Ae Haseeno and Dostana were the movies, which managed to bag the highest number of paid preview show. However, Ghajini has broken all previous records. Multiplexes are organizing between three – six paid previews Ghajini on Wednesday, which are as good as the shows some movies get when released. In fact PVR Bangalore’s 11 screen property is having 11 paid previews of Ghajini, which is the highest ever.
The demand of Ghajini is obviously high in South India because this movie has previously been made in Tamil and Telugu and has been very successful; also the Hindi version of Ghajini stars Asin who previously acted in the Telugu version of Ghajini and most of the crew including the director and producer are the same.
The situation seems to be similar in North India where reportedly Fun Chandigarh already sold 355 paid preview tickets on Friday night itself. Single screen cinema Delhi Delite has already sold paid preview tickets of two shows of Ghajini amounting to Rs 3 lakhs.
If all this is anything to go by, the mania, hype and booking have already surpassed Rab Ne Bana Di Jodi, which released two weeks back.
