Tamil Nadu theatre owners seek 6 am shows, 2 am screenings

The Tamil Nadu film industry may see changes in theatre timings, OTT release rules and box office reporting if the latest proposals receive government approval. Representatives from across the Tamil film industry recently met Tamil Nadu Information and Publicity Minister Rajmohan at Kalaivanar Arangam in Chennai to discuss key issues affecting the business.

The meeting included members of the Tamil Film Producers Council, the Active Producers Association, theatre owners’ associations and distributors’ bodies. Several proposals were placed before the minister to support theatre owners, producers and small-budget filmmakers.

Theatre Owners demand 6 AM shows and 8-week OTT release gap

According to Dinamalar, one of the major demands was permission to screen films from 6 am, similar to the practice in neighbouring states such as Kerala, Karnataka and Andhra Pradesh.

Industry representatives also sought permission to conduct screenings until 2 am, which could allow theatres to run five or six shows a day. They said this would help theatres manage busy release schedules, especially when several films arrive in cinemas on the same day.

The industry also called for the OTT release window for Tamil films to be extended to eight weeks after their theatrical release. Theatre owners believe a longer gap could encourage audiences to watch films in cinemas before they become available on streaming platforms.

Tamil Nadu Government OTT platform and box office collection transparency

The representatives also asked the Tamil Nadu government to launch its own OTT platform to help small-budget films reach more viewers. They urged the government to announce pending State Film Awards for previous years and release the remaining subsidies for low-budget films. They also called for an online system to share ticket collection details after every show. The information would be available to producers, distributors and theatre owners, helping all three parties track box office figures.

The proposed system is also aimed at preventing false or misleading claims about film collections.

Tamil Nadu Minister Says 90% of film industry demands accepted

After the meeting, Minister Rajmohan addressed the media and said the government had accepted around 90% of the demands raised by representatives of the Tamil film industry. He added that the proposals would be discussed with Chief Minister Vijay before official government orders and announcements were issued. While the minister’s statement has raised hopes among industry stakeholders, the proposals are yet to become confirmed policy changes. If approved, the measures could affect theatre operations, the release schedules of Tamil films and the way box office collections are reported. The industry is now awaiting the government’s official decision on these requests.