Tongues have started to wag in trade circles. The moment the release date of Reliance Entertainment’s 83 was announced a little over an hour back than trade gossip began to gain momentum.
As is common knowledge, Reliance has not one but two ready films — Sooryavanshi and 83. It was being whispered in trade circles that Sooryavanshi would hit the screens on April 2 while 83 would follow in June. Unofficially, even Reliance was claiming this release schedule. Hence the formal announcement about the release date of 83 (June 4) today has taken the industry by surprise. It is common knowledge that the revenue sharing terms between the national multiplex chains and Reliance Entertainment for Sooryavanshi are being negotiated without success. The two parties are also trying to arrive at an amicable time period for the exclusive cinema window in the changed circumstances in place of the eight-week period in the pre-lockdown days. But the question that begs an answer is: if the terms for Sooryavanshi have not been finalised, how has Reliance announced the release of its other big film, 83?
Know-alls in the industry insist that Rohit Shetty wants Reliance, his partner in Sooryavanshi, to not budge from its demand for a higher share in net collections and a smaller exclusive window for cinemas, which is why Reliance and the national multiplexes are unable to arrive at a common point of agreement. Meanwhile, Reliance seems to have agreed on the terms for its other film, Kabir Khan’s 83, and hence has announced its release date.