Balaji Telefilms has postponed the release of Jabariya Jodi by a week. Instead of 2nd August, it will now come on 9th August. The decision to move the film ahead was taken just now and is still being conveyed to distributors and exhibitors across the country.
There are several reasons for the postponement. For one, Hollywood flick Fast & Furious: Hobbs And Shaw, due on 2nd August, is carrying excellent reports and is likely to open big, thereby posing stiff competition to Jabariya Jodi. Secondly, with F & F and Khandaani Shafakhana slated to hit the screens on 2nd August, it would be difficult for the distributors of JJ to get the number of shows in multiplexes and number of single-screen cinemas which the film would have ideally needed. The problem is accentuated due to The Lion King still doing extremely well in its second week and expected to continue its meritorious run in its third week too, thereby further diluting the number of shows available to JJ. Super 30, which is also going strong at the box-office, will enter its fourth week on 2nd August. Balaji’s own Judgementall Hai Kya was released last week and it is expected to continue in its second week too.
Thanks to all these factors, Jabariya Jodi has been shifted to August 9. The good thing is that there was no big film slated for release on 9th. Another plus point is that Jabariya Jodi would now get the advantage of the Bakr Eid holiday on 12th August. Says Sanjay Chhattar, the all-India distributor of JJ, “Baadshaho and Shubh Mangal Saavdhan, released in August 2017, had shown a huge jump in collections on Bakr Eid which had fallen on Saturday. For us, the advantage would be for four days: Friday (9th August) would be the opening day and ours would be the only major release on that day; collections would be good on Saturday (due to holiday in many offices and banks as it is the second Saturday) and Sunday (holiday); and then, again on Monday owing to the Bakr Eid holiday.”
The disadvantage, of course, is that in just six days after 9th August will come Mission Mangal and Batla House. As is well-known, both the abovenamed films will release on Thursday instead of Friday to take advantage of the Independence Day holiday. In fact, there is no major film scheduled for release on 9th August, only because of the two big ones planned for release on the following Thursday, giving only six clear days to the films scheduled to release on 9th August. But, Balaji Telefilms is willing to go with that minus point rather than coming with Fast & Furious: Hobbs And Shaw. As they say, you win some, you lose some… Chhattar adds, “We’ve spoken to all multiplex chains. They have the bandwidth to give JJ some shows on 15th despite the release of the two new films. Had Saaho also come on 15th August, it would’ve been impossible for the multiplexes to accommodate Jabariya Jodi on 15th, but since Saaho is postponed, we see no difficulty.”