Theatres struggle to schedule shows as multiple films clash at box office
Theatres Films Shows Movies Hindi films
Lata Jha
After a long and dry spell, movie theatres across India are struggling with a problem of plenty with multiple films scheduled for release over the next few weeks and several date changes made to avoid clashes that often impact marketing and promotional campaigns.
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While the success of Prabhas and Deepika Padukone-starrer Kalki 2898 AD (released June 27) has led to titles such as Janhvi Kapoor’s Ulajh and Ajay Devgn-starrer Auron Mein Kahan Dum Tha getting pushed to August 2, it led to showcasing issues for action film Kill, which arrived a week after and managed ₹13.59 crore at last count, primarily from up-market, urban multiplexes.

Two films clashed at the box office this past weekend—Akshay Kumar’s Sarfira and Kamal Haasan’s Indian 2. The coming Friday is set for another anticipated release, comedy drama Bad Newz (with Vicky Kaushal), followed by big-ticket Hollywood flick Deadpool & Wolverine towards the end of the month.

Clashing at the box office on the same day or releasing in quick succession leads to films eating into each other’s business even though most current titles aren't finding enough favour when up against a competitor like Kalki, trade experts pointed out.

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“We saw no releases during the elections, IPL and World Cup, but now with Kalki doing well, people are back to the cinemas. However, the film’s length (3 hours) has created some trouble for us, along with the fact that all premium screen formats like IMAX are taken up by it," said Pranav Garg, managing director at Maya Palace, a two-screen cinema in Muzaffarnagar.

In case of two or more films clashing at the box office, Garg emphasised that theatre owners are always arm-twisted for better show timings and bigger auditoriums. They are threatened with not receiving films from the distributor over the next few months if these demands are not met, a challenge that is particularly grave when it comes to single or two-screen cinemas.

“The other big issue (with clashes or too many films playing at the same time) is most audiences don’t have the budget for multiple films and high ticket prices truly pinch hard," Garg said.

Showcasing issues

After no new films were released over the past two to three months, it is not surprising that the latest movies are cannibalising each other and leading to showcasing issues for theatres, said Amit Sharma, managing director of Miraj Entertainment, which operates multiplex theatres.

Changes in release dates make a difference, especially with highly anticipated movies such as Pushpa 2-The Rule, which has moved from August to December, Sharma added. On the other hand, few new releases have managed traction after Kalki.

While major holiday weekends such as Independence Day, Diwali and Eid can accommodate two big films or one big release along with a mid-sized title, regular weekends around the year are not conducive to the same, according to trade experts.

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Ashish Saksena, chief operating officer, cinemas, at entertainment platform BookMyShow​, said along with Kalki, titles like Inside Out 2 (English), Despicable Me 4 (English), horror-comedy, Munjya (Hindi), Diljit Dosanjh's Jatt & Juliet 3 (Punjabi) and Vijay Sethupathi's Maharaja (Tamil, Telugu) have currently ensured a diverse slate for audiences in cinemas.

“It is important to plan in advance and space films out so that all cinemas can do justice to the movies in question in terms of showcasing and optimising their own revenues as well," independent distributor and exhibitor Akshaye Rathi said.

Reasonable show-sharing is the need of the hour, Rathi added, and it is unfair if anyone loses out on the opportunity to screen any film.