Reasonable shows to F1: The Movie or no show of Jurassic World Rebirth and Superman – Warner Bros’ warning to PVR Inox over ‘bias’ showcasing for Sitaare Zameen Par, Maa

Show-sharing in theatres has now become a common issue, especially in the pre-pandemic era. In a shocking turn of events, a feud emerged this week between Warner Bros, the studio backing F1: The Movie and PVR Inox, India’s largest multiplex chain and also now a leading distributor.

Reasonable shows to F1: The Movie or no show of Jurassic World Rebirth and Superman – Warner Bros’ warning to PVR Inox over ‘bias’ showcasing for Sitaare Zameen Par, Maa

A trade source told Bollywood Hungama, “F1: The Movie has got a roaring response in paid previews, which were held on Wednesday, June 25, and also internationally. Warner also distributes films of Universal Studios whose M3GAN 2.0 also hits cinemas on June 27. Universal’s How To Train Your Dragon is also running in cinemas successfully. Hence, Warner asked for 4 shows of F1: The Movie, 2 shows of M3GAN 2.0 and 1 show of How To Train Your Dragon, that is, 7 shows across 3 films in premium multiplexes. They made it clear that this is not a one-size-fits-all approach and that it can be tweaked for certain multiplexes.”

The source continued, “The meetings, however, didn’t end on a good note. Warner felt that they were getting an unfair treatment. They also got a sense that PVR Inox was giving them a raw deal and giving preference to Sitaare Zameen Par and Maa, films which are distributed by PVR Inox Pictures.” The former is an Aamir Khan-starrer which released last week, on June 20, and is running successfully at the box office. The latter, featuring Kajol in the lead, releases tomorrow.

The source further said, “In recent times, it was Warner who distributed Final Destination Bloodlines, Sinners and How To Train Your Dragon, films which got the footfalls in urban multiplexes. With no other option in sight, they made it clear that if F1: The Movie is not given a justifiable number of shows, they’ll not provide July 4 release Jurassic World Rebirth and July 11 release Superman to PVR Inox.” Both these films have generated tremendous excitement and have the potential to strike gold at the box office. Hence, Warner’s warning has raised eyebrows.

Another trade expert, however, said, “There are times when there is a lack of releases. And then there’s the present-day scenario where there are too many new and holdover releases. Theatres have to accommodate Kannappa, which is releasing in multiple languages with Maa and F1: The Movie. They also need to play John Wick: Ballerina, Materialists and Housefull 5. In such a scenario, a few films are bound to get fewer shows than expected.”

The trade expert further commented, “F1: The Movie will ultimately release and so will Jurassic World Rebirth and Superman as that’s what happens if we go by the clashes which happened in the past. Warner probably felt that they needed to take a stand and hence, this decision.”

What is concerning is that the next 4 weeks are going to be packed with Hindi and English films every week and hence, this fight over screens might take place every week.

Nikita Roy pushed
Meanwhile, the makers of the Sonakshi Sinha-starrer Nikita Roy have postponed the film at the last minute. It was all set to release on June 27 and is now postponed to July 18. The note by the makers read, “We have found ourselves in the midst of multiple releases and a battle of screens. With advice from our well-wishers in the fraternity, the distributors and exhibitors, we have collectively decided to push our release to the 18th of July so that we can reach a wider audience.”

Also Read: Sitaare Zameen Par’s success is a MASTERCLASS in why content is still KING – a powerful reminder that stories with heart still shine brightest in Indian cinema

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