Decades ago, it was common to see MG Ramachandran and Sivaji Ganesan clashing the box office quite often. Interestingly, the films of these stalwarts would release in nearby theatres resulting in their respective fans clashing to get the maximum space and exposure for their heroes.
Then came the Rajini – Kamal era where such clashes at the box office were quite common and this was followed by the Ajith – Vijay box office clash.

But off late, we are not able to experience these kinds of box office clashes and fans certainly miss out on the frenzy that surrounds a film’s release. Early this year, there was a lot of expectation that Suriya’s 7aum Arivu and Vijay’s Velayutham would hit the screens on the same day and fans were waiting with full gusto to exhibit their obeisance at the theatres. Unfortunately, the clash was thwarted with 7aum Arivu making it to the theatre a couple of days ahead of Velayutham.

Very recently, fans of Ajith and Karthi expected their respective idol’s films – Billa 2 and Saguni – to make it to the silver screens on the same day. But this did not happen with Billa 2’s release postponed for various reasons.

Industry pundits opine that box office clashes may not happen anymore considering the sensibilities of the theatre owners. The idea behind thwarting box office clashes is to rake in maximum profits. Solo release means maximum collections as the movie buffs have little choice. For excellent commercial success, it is not just the filmmakers but the theatre owners also discourage box office clashes.

The fans, on the other hand, are happy that their idol gets the maximum exposure that is needed for the rise in the star status. Does this mean it is the end of the box office clash era?