The distributors of this week’s two releases — Dunki and Salaar (dubbed) — are on tenterhooks. And so are the exhibitors. The bone of contention is the number of shows to be allotted by multiplexes and single-screen cinemas to the two films. Since Salaar is a dubbed film, the scales are, obviously, tilted in favour of Dunki, more so because it stars Shah Rukh Khan and is directed by Rajkumar Hirani. Nevertheless, Salaar is directed by no less a name than Prashanth Neel who has the blockbuster K.G.F. Chapter 2 behind him.
There were negotiations and more negotiations between the multiplexes and the distributors of each of the two films — just as there were talks and more talks between the single-screen cinemas and the distributors of both the eagerly awaited films. The matter was rendered more complex for the multiplexes, at least, because Animal will enter its fourth week on 22nd December and there’s a new Hollywood film — Aquaman And The Lost Kingdom — releasing this week.
To single-screen cinemas, the distributors of Dunki have made it clear that they would not share the shows. In other words, they are demanding all the four/five shows in single-screen cinemas. On the other hand, the distributors of Salaar (dubbed) want at least one or two shows in the single-screen cinemas. Since the distributors of both the films — PEN Marudhar Cine Entertainment for Dunki, and AA Films for Salaar (dubbed) — are powerful names, exhibitors can’t afford to antagonise any of them by ignoring their requests/demands.
Le Reve cinema at Bandra in Bombay is a single-screen cinema which is being run by PVR Inox. The management of the cinema started the booking of Dunki today (Wednesday, December 20) for all the shows for Thursday and Friday but had to close the plans windows soon thereafter. Reportedly, Anil Thadani, the all-India distributor of Salaar (dubbed), told the PVR Inox top brass to forthwith stop the advance booking of Salaar (dubbed) in all its properties across South India if it was not giving Salaar (dubbed) a single show at Le Reve. Obviously, Le Reve had to stop the advance booking because PVR Inox cannot afford to lock horns with Thadani, especially in South India for Salaar. Ditto for Rivoli, Delhi, a single-screen cinema being run by PVR Inox. It opened the advance booking counters for Dunki for Thursday and Friday yesterday (Tuesday, December 19) but closed the same soon thereafter because Thadani’s phone call was enough to dissuade the national cinema chain of PVR Inox.
Most other single-screen cinemas across the country have opened the advance booking of Dunki for Thursday for all the four/five shows, but for Friday for only three/four shows, reserving one show from Friday onwards for Salaar (dubbed) as it will release on Friday unlike Dunki which will hit the screens on Thursday. Till Anil Thadani doesn’t agree to accept just one show for Salaar (dubbed), the single-screen cinemas can’t start the advance booking for it. Nobody knows when that will happen — or, for that matter, whether that will happen at all!