Chennai, October 18, 2023 – The Madras High Court has declined the plea for a 4 AM screening of the much-anticipated Thalapathy Vijay starrer, ‘Leo.’ The court’s decision has left the matter in the hands of the Tamil Nadu government, which will now decide whether to permit early morning shows starting at 7 AM during the film’s opening week, from October 19 to October 24.
The makers of ‘Leo‘ had initially requested permission to host 4 AM screenings for the first six days of the film’s release, citing the desire to accommodate the insatiable enthusiasm of hardcore fans. However, the Tamil Nadu government had previously granted permission for five shows, with the earliest one scheduled to start at 9 AM.
In a petition submitted to the court, K Ramachandran, one of the film’s producers, explained the reasoning behind the request, noting that neighboring states like Kerala and Karnataka had allowed early morning screenings from 4 AM to manage overcrowding and fanfare.
The petition read, “To cater for the unusual demand of viewership, the states of Kerala and Karnataka have permitted an early morning timing extension from 4 o’clock. In line with the neighboring states, I had requested the same special show timings from 4 AM for the theaters in Tamil Nadu to manage overcrowding and fanfare on 19.10.2023.”
The Madras High Court’s decision has now shifted the responsibility to the Tamil Nadu government, allowing them to reconsider the possibility of 7 AM showtimes for ‘Leo’ as the film nears its release date.
‘Leo,’ a much-anticipated Tamil film, features an ensemble cast including Thalapathy Vijay, Trisha Krishnan, Arjun Sarja, Gautham Menon, Mysskin, Priya Anand, and Bollywood actor Sanjay Dutt. The film’s script was co-written by Rathna Kumar and Deeraj Vaidy in collaboration with director Lokesh Kanagaraj.