Tamil Film Producers' Council calls off strike, digital service providers slash VPF rates

Movie theatres in the state are supposed to be abuzz with people of all ages, wore a deserted look as the cash registers are not ringing with the cinema halls.

The Tamil Film Producers' Council (TPFC) has called off the strike on Wednesday after more than a month the council went on protest against high prices charged by digital service providers (DSPs). Movie theatres in the state which are supposed to be abuzz with people of all ages, wore a deserted look as the cash registers are not ringing with the cinema halls.

Since March 1, no major Tamil movie has been released due to the issue of service providers with cinema hall owners forced to show old movies or films of other languages including English and Hindi.

According to The News Minute, there will now be greater transparency about box office collections of films, computerised ticketing, reduction in online booking charges, and flexible ticket pricing. The DSPs have also reportedly slashed their Virtual Print Fee (VPF) rates.

Ramesh Bala, Entertainment Industry Tracker, tweeted, "TPFC has called for a special meeting at 5:30 PM this evening. The leadership team will update the members about the agreement reached yesterday.Resuming new releases (most likely Fri - Apr 20th) and shooting will be announced."

TPFC has already formed a committee which is looking into release regulation. Movies, depending on their censor date will be allowed to release in the chronological order. Three movies (1 Big and 2 med/small) movies expected to release every Friday.