Movies
Regional films fared better in ’16 in terms of online booking
NEW DELHI: Regional films did exceptionally well at the box office in 2016 and Malayalam cinema particularly a major rise, if one is to go by online bookings for tickets.
Online movie ticketing for Malayalam cinema showed over 80 per cent growth as compared to in 2015, according to tickets sold by online entertainment ticketing brand BookMyShow.
However, the Rajinikanth starrer Kabali (Tamil) was the only regional film that made it to BookMyShow’s Top 10. The Shahrukh Khan starrer Fan was ranked 14th
While Kabali (Telugu) was the most sold regional film, Natsamrat (Marathi) was the top rated
Thus, regional and even Hollywood films did well during 2016 apart from Bollywood, according to the ticketing brand.
This was directly mirrored through millions of ratings and reviews that BookMyShow received on its platform this year.
While Sunday remains the best day of the week to watch a film and Friday to Sunday are the preferred days by cinegoers, 2016 threw up a surprise when Monday proved to be the fourth most popular film-watching day in comparison to 2015 when Thursday had reserved this honour.
Viewers generally preferred a 7:00 pm show on any given day of the week but the most perfect day and time combination for movie watching was Saturday at 10:00 pm.
Only four Hindi and English films rated in the top 10, while al the other spots were grabbed by regional films
The trailer of Sultan was most rated on BookMyShow, followed by M S Dhoni- The Untold Story
This year, BookMyShow also compiled a list of its favourites in four categories:
Cult- Among others, a movie that left a long lasting impression on BookMyShow and the editor was Miss Peregrines’s Home for Peculiar Children; Debutants as 2016 saw some noteworthy performances by new talent such as Waluscha De Sousa in Fan opposite Shahrukh Khan and Harshvardhan Kapoor in Mirzya; Dialogue- Movie buffs came across quite a few memorable dialogues this year. One of them definitely was Aishwarya Rai’s “Main kisi ki zaroorat nahi, khwaish ban-na chahti hoon” from Ae Dil Hai Mushkil; and Movers and Shakers – Among the ones who definitely made a huge impact to the films was definitely Dwayne Johnson who made the headlines all year long in 2016 for his act in Moana.
BookMyShow Co-founder & Director Parikshit Dar said, “As we near the end of 2016, we decided to revisit their truly incredible 2016 journey with us and summarize their year at the movies. Our objective has always been to enrich the user experience by smartly using technology, while enhancing content discovery on BookMyShow. In this regard, our comprehensive reviews and ratings platform, which has also established itself as an industry yardstick to evaluate a film’s popularity, has played an instrumental role in further assisting viewers in making informed decisions while transacting on BookMyShow. The year 2017 already looks promising with some great line content already lined up and we are excited to embark upon the New Year with our users.”
Detailed results:
Hollywood
Paramount Skydance secures financing for Warner Bros Discovery deal
Debt syndication and new loans push $111 billion merger closer to close
WASHINGTON: Paramount Skydance has taken a major step towards its planned acquisition of Warner Bros Discovery, securing fresh financing and completing the syndication of its bridge loan facility.
In a filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission, the company confirmed that the bridge facility has now been distributed among a group of 18 banks, reducing total commitments to $49 billion from an earlier $54 billion. The move spreads risk across lenders and signals growing confidence in one of the year’s largest media deals.
Alongside this, the company has finalised permanent financing arrangements, including $5 billion in senior term loans and a $5 billion revolving credit facility. A previously planned $3.5 billion credit line has been dropped as part of the restructuring.
The loans are secured against key assets, including Paramount Global, Skydance Media and Warner Bros post-merger, underlining the scale and complexity of the transaction.
The financing push follows a competitive bidding process earlier this year, which saw interest from players such as Netflix before Paramount Skydance emerged as the frontrunner. The deal, valued at $111 billion, is expected to close in the third quarter, subject to regulatory approvals.
Adding to the momentum, the company has also secured significant equity backing, including investments from Middle Eastern funds, with support from billionaire Larry Ellison, who has guaranteed the equity portion of the transaction.
Commenting on the development, Paramount Skydance chief strategy officer Andy Gordon said, “Our successful debt syndication and new debt facilities represent another important milestone towards the completion of our acquisition of Warner Bros Discovery.”
Once completed, the combined entity is expected to carry net debt of just under $80 billion, reflecting the sheer scale of the merger.
As Hollywood continues to consolidate in the streaming era, this deal could reshape the competitive landscape, with Paramount Skydance betting big on scale, content and financial muscle to take on global rivals.
