Anoop Menon’s latest thriller, Checkmate, is facing a challenging reception at the box office, accumulating a modest Rs 24 lakhs worldwide over its first four days. The film’s performance has been notably underwhelming, particularly in the Kerala Box Office (KBO), where it managed to earn only Rs 1 lakh on its fourth day.
According to Sacnilk, Checkmate earned Rs 22 lakhs from India Net collections. The film’s highest single-day collection was Rs 6 lakhs on its opening day. Although it peaked on the second day with Rs 9 lakhs, the movie has experienced a steady decline in collections since then.
Amid these disappointing results, Anoop Menon has raised concerns about a significant issue plaguing the industry: online ticket booking fraud. In a recent press interaction after watching Checkmate in theaters, Menon expressed worries about misleading occupancy rates displayed online. He explained that inflated numbers create a false sense of success, leading filmmakers to believe their films are performing better than they are, while actual theater attendance remains much lower.
Menon criticized the discrepancy, noting that while bookings might show full houses, actual attendance can be as low as twelve people per screening. This gap between online booking data and real audience numbers is causing considerable frustration among filmmakers who invest heavily in marketing and promotions, only to face financial setbacks due to the mismatch in reported and actual theater occupancy.
