The stand-off between Kerala Film Producers Association (KFPA) and Kerala Film Exhibitors Federation (KFEF) over the distribution of box-office collection remains unresolved.
In the three weeks since the crisis broke out, many round of talks have failed and the film industry has virtually come to a standstill (since December 16) with no Christmas and New Year releases.
On Thursday, another round of talks between the two bodies bore no fruit, as they failed to reach a consensus on the box-office collection sharing.
The KFEF has been demanding equal share of the box-office collection, as single-screen owners now have to pay 60% to distributors and producers during the first week of a new release, while multiplexes get to keep 50% of the share.
However, the producer’s association has consistently been demanding that the exhibitors retract their demand.
Liberty Basheer, president of the exhibitors' federation told The Times of India that the producers came up with a new demand in the meeting conveyed to sort out the differences.
“At the same time, the producers raised a fresh demand of hiking their profit share. They wanted to increase their share to 70% from 60%,” he was quoted as saying.
In a second meeting later in the evening convened by Kerala Film Chamber, producer’s association failed to turn up.
“Only the exhibitors turned up for the meeting. The producers and distributers couldn't attend the meeting as they were caught up with the 125th day celebrations of Priyadarshan's Mohanlal starrer,” GP Vijayakumar, president of the Film Chamber told TOI.
Another round of talks will reportedly be held on Friday and Saturday.
Last week, negotiations under the patronage of Culture Minister AK Balan too, had failed.
Earlier, eminent film maker Adoor Gopalakrishnan lashed out at the theatre owners for having “no responsibility towards cinema” and demanded that the striking theatres be closed down.
“This shows the false pride of the theatre owners. They have no responsibility towards cinema. They won’t get affected whatever happens to the Malayalam film industry. If not Malayalam they would go for Tamil movies. They have no commitments to our own cinema,” he lashed out at theatre owners.