Indian cinema is going to witness a rare event this Friday. Nine films are all set to clash at the box office on June 12. Manoj Bajpayee’s Governor, director Imtiaz Ali’s Main Vaapas Aaunga, Kangana Ranaut’s
Bharat Bhhagya Vidhaata, Vikram Bhatt’s Haunted 3D, The Narmada Story, Heer Sara, and Hollywood’s Scary Movie, Disclosure Day and Backrooms are all releasing together. But is this a good thing or a bad thing?
In a chat with Hindustan Times, Haunted’s producer Anand Pandit said, “Achha hai na! Itne zyaada log theatre jaayenge na. It’s the mega films which need to earn ₹300 crores and upwards, who have issues with clashes. But the films which are smaller, they are not affected. The number of screens we have got for our film is enough.”
Trade analyst Taran Adarsh, however, said, “No one wants to stop their film’s release. It’s not right to have so many films. You don’t get enough shows or footfalls, as we don’t have enough screens currently. As a result, the money invested is not recovered in most cases. Producers need to plan out; it’s not something like a festival release which people can’t change. We need to study the market and then announce a release date.”
Chinmay Mandlekar, who has directed Governor, said, “Firstly, there are only 52 Fridays in a year; there is bound to be a Friday where there will be multiple releases. We would have loved it if it had been less crowded. June, surprisingly, this year has been the busiest… normally April or May, which is vacation time, or Diwali has this rush. Ab yeh ho gaya hai toh ho gaya hai, kya karein. Let’s hope every film gets its audience. I am happy for the audience that they are in a situation where there are multiple films; it’s been drought post Covid in theatres.”
These nine films will not only have to compete with one another but also stand strong against recent big releases like Peddi and Hai Jawani Toh Ishq Hona Hai. As for Hollywood films, while Obsession has emerged as a strong competitor, it has also increased excitement for Backrooms as they belong to the same genre.
