The decision from the Chief Minister Vijay-led government has the industry divided in its opinion. Theatre owners and exhibitors met the CM on May 16 and put forth requests like entertainment taxes, subsidies for low-budget films and theatre reforms. Upon hearing them, the government announced that newly-released films can have up to five screenings per day for a week, apart from festival days and weekends, without a special permission from the government.

"The request was put forth to the government by our body. We wouldn’t call it a major announcement," Tirupur Subramanian, president, Tamil Nadu Theatre Owners and Exhibitors' Association, told DT Next.

He elaborated on the requests that were made and added, "We asked for 24-hour screenings across Tamil Nadu. We don't mind paying the electricity bill if there are audiences throughout the day. Moreover, we looked forward to waiving the entertainment tax. That would have been a huge relief for us. Also, this will only benefit star films and not small-budgeted movies."

Producer Mathiyalagan of Et cetera Entertainment, who has a film due for release soon, called this an encouraging scene. "One extra show per day means 1,000 extra shows a day and 7,000 shows a week. This will benefit the theatres. When theatres do well, it benefits producers. With satellite and digital sales faring poorly, theatrical revenues save producers, especially those who make content-oriented films on a medium budget. This is a decision we welcome," he said.