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'Sooryavanshi' advance booking affected as exhibitor and multiplexes fight over revenue share

WION Web Team
New DelhiUpdated: Nov 04, 2021, 05:56 PM IST
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Photograph:(Twitter)

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The release of Akshay Kumar's 'Sooryavanshi' is just a few hours away but the advance booking in most multiplexes still hasn't started. 

The release of Akshay Kumar's 'Sooryavanshi' is just a few hours away but the advance booking in most multiplexes still hasn't started. The film has been directed by Rohit Shetty and features Akshay Kumar, Katrina Kaif along with Ajay Devgn and Ranveer Singh in extended cameos. 

There is no sign of advance booking in the big multiplex chains in India- namely PVR, Inox and Cinepolis. Considering 'Sooryavanshi' is being billed as the big Diwali release, the new controversy has led to panic in the exhibition and trade sector. 

So what is the controversy about? The distributor of 'Sooryavanshi' and the Multiplex Association of India have been at the loggerheads for a while over the profit share of the film. The two parties have had a number of meetings over the past few days to discuss the revenue share but still have not been able to reach a consensus. 

Reports state, that the distributor is asking for terms similar to Akshay Kumar’s last release, 'Bell Bottom' while the multiplex association is wanting to get back to the good old days of doing business. For those unaware, National Chains had agreed with the Bell Bottom team to share 60% revenue in week one, 55% in week two, 50% in week three and 45% in week four. This was done at the time when most theatres across the country were running on 50% occupancy. 

Rohit Shetty's 'Sooryavanshi' has been billed as the big release of this festive season. Large footfalls are expected for the film, which has seen several delays in release due to the pandemic. 

The multiplex owners have reportedly stated that they are willing to share 52.5% in the first week, 47.5% in the second week, 45% in third week and 40% in fourth week. The cinema owners do not want to follow old revenue figures as the association claims that this would set a wrong example for all the releases going forward.
The box office this week is jam-packed with big films. There is Akshay Kumar's  'Sooryavanshi', Marvel's 'Eternals' & Rajnikanth's  'Annaatthe'.

Akshay Kumar's 'Sooryavanshi' to not release in multiplexes?

Meanwhile, things are complicated in the single theatres as well as the distributor of 'Sooryavanshi' are expecting 100% showcasing of the film while reports state that some 2000 single-screen theatres have committed to Disney to allot one prime slot to the 'Eternals' which is releasing in multiple regional languages along with its original English language. 

This has resulted in a conflict of interest as team 'Sooryavanshi' is at this point of time in no mood to share a single show with the Marvel saga. Things are being worked out amicably on this front too.

Amid these uncertainties, it is the fans who are suffering the most. Many of Akshay Kumar and Rohit Shetty's fans have waited patiently for 18 months for the release of the film which was initially supposed to hit theatres in March 2020. With the recent squabble between cinema hall owners and exhibitors, the audience is getting the most affected and facing major difficulties in booking tickets.