Going by initial reports, Rajinikanth-starrer Kabali - which releases in Qatar and other GCC countries on Thursday - is witnessing a huge demand and seats are filling up fast.
More than 20 shows of the Tamil-language gangster-drama movie have been sold out for the opening day at a couple of cinemas - City Center Doha and Asian Town, it is learnt.
While details from other halls are awaited, sources said the film is expected to do really well as Rajinikanth has a huge and dedicated fan following.
The craze surrounding Kabali comes at a time when many multiplexes in Qatar are reportedly witnessing poor footfall, particularly on weekdays. The situation has worsened in the summer, say sources.
Kabali, though, can provide some relief to the cinema operators by giving a big boost to revenues, they point out.
The local response to Kabali has been "unprecedented", according to an official of Qatar Bahrain Cinema Company (QBCC), which manages halls at City Center Doha, Asian Town and some other malls in the country.
Together, these two cinemas will have more than 20 daily screenings of the film on Day 1.
At Asian Town, a popular destination among expatriate workers on the outskirts of the Industrial Area, nearly all shows at the four halls have been sold out for Thursday and the demand is also high for Friday. Even shows scheduled for 3.30am on Friday were almost sold out.
As each hall at Asian Town can accommodate around 500 people, thousands are expected to watch the movie there on Thursday alone.
"It is after a considerable period that we are seeing such a response to a film in Qatar," said the QBCC official, who also reported that the film was witnessing an equally good response at the company's three halls in Al Khor Mall.
At City Centre Doha, where the film will have nine screenings on the opening day (including the 1am show on Friday), thousands more are expected to catch their favourite star in action this weekend.
Speaking to Gulf Times, Qatar Cinema and Film Distribution Company general manager A Najdi, too, said the advance bookings have been impressive for screenings at The Mall and Landmark. The Mall, in particular, has reportedly seen heavy bookings for the first two days.
The film has generated much interest in India and also garnered international attention, with reports saying that businesses in some southern Indian cities have given their employees the day off on Friday (when the film releases in India) so that they can attend screenings of the film. The companies apparently anticipated that many employees would be reporting sick in order to see the film.
Posts on social media showed that Doha-based fans of the superstar were also eagerly awaiting the film's release and many planned to watch the opening show. One of them is an Indian chartered accountant, who will be watching the film at Novo Cinemas.