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Bollywood Hungama has been regularly informing viewers about the dramatic issue that cropped up on Thursday, December 19 over show sharing of Baby John and Pushpa 2 – The Rule. The issue was sorted temporarily but now the discussion has again resumed as to how many shows should be allotted to both films once Baby John releases on December 25.
Christmas deadlock continues as PVR Inox insists on 60% of shows for Baby John and 40% for Pushpa 2; anger among exhibitors as PVR Inox exclusively throws open advance booking for both films on Dec 25 in their properties
A source told Bollywood Hungama, “The distributors of Baby John, PVR Inox Pictures, have asked for 60% of showcasing for their film while they have asked exhibitors to allot the balance 40% of the shows to Pushpa 2 – The Rule. To the single screens, they have insisted that there should be 3 shows of their film and 1 show of Pushpa 2 – The Rule.”
The source continued, “However, some theatres have reservations over this arrangement. They argue that Pushpa 2 – The Rule is still doing exceedingly well and hence, it’ll continue to find a huge audience even after Baby John’s release. As a result, they are not ready to reduce its showcasing considerably.”
An industry expert commented, “There should be no one-size-fits-all strategy. In some premium plexes and in some regions, Pushpa 2 – The Rule has almost exhausted its run. In such a scenario, 60% showcasing to Baby John makes sense. But there are theatres in certain mass sectors where Pushpa 2 – The Rule is simply unstoppable. There you can’t expect only 1 or 2 shows of Pushpa 2 – The Rule. A 50-50 showcasing, hence, should be applied in these theatres.”
An exhibitor from a small town in Rajasthan commented on condition of anonymity, “I request Mr Ajay Kumar Bijli from PVR to visit my cinema hall and see the craze for Pushpa 2 – The Rule and then tell me why should I give more shows to Baby John? I have no issues with the Varun Dhawan-starrer; it also looks promising but one can’t deny the fact that Pushpa 2 is a historic blockbuster. If I follow the simple demand-and-supply policy, Pushpa 2 – The Rule should get maximum shows or equal shows.”
A trade insider commented, “There’s anger among the exhibitors as PVR Inox Pictures have opened the bookings of Baby John in their properties using the 60:40 formula. The other cinema halls are waiting for the negotiations to end and only then can they plan the programming. This can happen today, tomorrow (Monday, December 23) or in a worst-case scenario, Tuesday (December 24). As a result, PVR Inox has a first-mover advantage as audiences will see only their theatres on booking apps when searching for shows of both films on Christmas day until the issue is sorted out. Hence, their theatres might record better occupancy, especially if the solution is found at the eleventh hour. The same happened during the Singham Again-Bhool Bhulaiyaa feud as well on Diwali; the former was distributed by PVR.”
He continued, “The alternate point of view is that Pushpa 2 – The Rule has done most of its business and it’s an unwritten rule that a new big film should always get preference. And Baby John will get its share of the audience. The exhibitors are hoping a solution is found as soon as possible as that would benefit everyone.”
More Pages: Baby John Box Office Collection , Baby John Movie Review
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