'Singham Again' v/s 'Bhool Bhulaiyaa': T-Series demands equal screen space
The impending Diwali box office clash between Ajay Devgn's Singham Again and Kartik Aaryan's Bhool Bhulaiyaa 3 has led to a tussle over screens. According to reports, T-Series, the production house of Bhool Bhulaiyaa 3, has approached the Competition Commission of India (CCI) accusing the makers of Singham Again of unfair practices. The production house wants an equal distribution of screens and has suggested a 50-50% split between both films.
'Singham Again' accused of monopolizing screen slots
An insider told Indian Express that PVR Pictures, the distributor of Singham Again, has given more than 60% of shows in PVR Inox theaters to the film. "Certain single-screen theaters have been asked to dedicate all shows to Singham Again, with some allowed to screen Bhool Bhulaiyaa 3 only in early morning slots," the source revealed. This alleged monopoly has prompted T-Series to approach CCI for a fair share of show timings for both films.
Devgn's past encounter with a similar screen allocation issue
Interestingly, this isn't the first time a screen allocation dispute has cropped up in Bollywood. In 2012, Devgn was in a similar situation when his film Son Of Sardaar clashed with Yash Chopra's Jab Tak Hai Jaan at the box office. Back then, Devgn had approached the CCI alleging unfair practices by the makers of Jab Tak Hai Jaan. Now, he is on the other side of such a dispute.
'Singham' vs 'BB': A high-stakes box office battle
The resolution of this dispute will largely determine the box office fate of both Singham Again, helmed by Rohit Shetty, and Anees Bazmee's Bhool Bhulaiyaa 3. Speaking about the matter, film producer and business expert Girish Johar said, "It's been ages since we've seen films clashing on big weekends and festivals." He added that multiplexes usually tweak their schedule according to a film's performance post its release.
Johar expressed skepticism over CCI's intervention
About CCI's possible intervention, Johar was doubtful, citing past precedents. He remembered that in 2012, the CCI allowed market forces to decide the fate of a similar tussle. "At the end of the day, even if it does intervene, it has to consider a lot of things like the cost of Singham Again is much higher than Bhool Bhulaiyaa 3," he added. The team of Singham Again is yet to respond to the matter.
